Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Limitless
by Kuugen the Fox
Summary: Before the ultimate power, humanity stands defenseless. A small unit of elite mages fights against them, monsters of times immemorial. Nanoha, Fate, Hayate and their friends are part of this group. But can they really stand against this enemy?
1. Asayres Arcis

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission One ===

**Asayres Arcis**

The booming sound of the alarm. Her head felt like her brain was on fire. The pain was ridiculously strong. What had happened? Right…the fight…the tremor…

And then? Suddenly, her partner dropped to the ground and seconds later, she also collapsed. The alarm was still ringing, getting louder as her senses slowly returned. She felt incredibly drained—she was all out of magic energy.

Opening her eyes, she could see the unmoving body of her lover just a few meters to the right. The alarm. Pulling herself together, she finally managed to get up and look behind her. The massive steel door had been blown off its hinges. That wasn't good…

Nanoha searched the room for her partner. She needed Fate's help. If their enemies were already inside, they had to take action quickly. Moving over to where the other mage was lying on the ground, Nanoha turned her over and shook her slightly. Fate had to be okay.

With a small moaning sound, the blond woman slowly but surely regained consciousness. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Nanoha's face.

"Nanoha…are you okay? When did the alarm start?" Fate was still confused, but knew the booming alarm in her ears wasn't a good sign.

"I'm okay, Fate-chan, but we need to hurry. We need to stop whomever passed through here." Nanoha figured they had little time until it was too late.

Even though the two women were very close to each other, they had little time to chitchat right now. The alarm had just changed from a loud booming to a piercing siren.

"_Section S-7 has been breached. Section S-7 has been breached. Section__—_" The alarm was repeating the same line over and over. It was a nightmare.

They slowly got up and found themselves unharmed except for a stinging headache. Their magical capacity had been depleted in a matter of seconds, which was quite harmful to the human body. But even without their full capacity, they had to act.

"_Raising Heart!_" Nanoha proclaimed. Without further delay, the device changed form and Nanoha was back in full battle mode. She was loaded with new cartridges, and she would need them all if they were to stop the intruders.

"_Bardiche!_" Fate followed closely behind Nanoha, both of them entering Section S, running as fast as they could.

There was no one left alive in the first room or in the next few. Most guards had been non-magical personnel in case the enemy attacked with means of anti-magic fields, or AMFs. Over a dozen guards had been shot and were lying on the ground or sitting in their chairs, their eyes empty.

Nanoha feared for the worst. As they entered the second-to-last room, they could feel it. An immense magic energy almost forced them on their knees but they pushed on, both of them putting up magic shields to protect against the raging wind currents coming from the last room.

A shimmering light was coming from that room. Before their very eyes, the seal broke, and the door to Dimension 4AXC-AIX-77721-AX opened.

=== Limitless ===

_Seventy-two hours earlier…_

"I welcome all of you. I am General Merlus Min, direct second-in-command for the joint forces of the Time-Space Administration Bureau. You all are probably well aware that you have been called here for a specific reason."

The general, a middle-aged man with dark brown hair, a small mustache, and a military hat, looked every bit like what one expected a general to look like. He marched up and down the room in front of a blackboard with several wanted posters and diagrams. His eyes flew over the faces of the invited members. Although he didn't approve of most of them being female and so young, they had obtained respectable results in the Jail Scaglietti incident.

"The TEG has stolen several Lost Logia we had in our possession during the last three weeks. First we assumed they were simply trying to gain power, but now it is obvious that they are targeting very specific Lost Logia that are kept in separate locations for security reasons."

"_Tea? What is the TEG? I haven't heard of them before_." Subaru tried hard not to look at Teana while using her telepathy to ask her the question. While it was bad manners to do this in a briefing, she was curious.

"_Time's Eternal Guardians. A group that combines both organized crime and religious _

_fanatics. The group has existed for nearly sixty years now and is still going strong. You should know these things_." Teana was a little annoyed with her partner's lack of knowledge, but it couldn't be helped.

"We assume that they have learned the position of the dimensional prison. The Lost Logia they stole were keys used to seal the gateway to that particular dimension. I will not beat around the bush—they are trying to break the seal and open the gateway to Dimension 4AXC-AIX-77721-AX."

Someone raised their hand. Her. The general didn't like her, _especially_ her. "What is it, Brigadier General Yagami?"

Hayate Yagami. The previous commander of Riot 6, a mobile squadron that was called into existence to deal with Lost Logia that had proved to be of essential value in the incident with Jail Scaglietti and the Saint's Cradle. She had many friends in the TSAB higher echelon, and many people had respect for her mostly because she was a very powerful mage.

"General, what exactly have we been called here for? We all received notices that we were relieved from our positions and that we were to come to headquarters immediately. I cannot imagine that the TEG stealing Lost Logia is a justifiable reason to call all of us here. Can't the Air Force deal with this?" Hayate's blue eyes were questioning the general's motive and demanding an explanation.

"None of you know what is in Dimension 4AXC-AIX-77721-AX and you don't need to. Let's just say that anything terrible you ever imagined is of a ridiculously irrelevant magnitude compared to what could happen to this universe if the residents of that prison are allowed to roam free. We—" The general stopped. A secure connection had been established to his terminal, a message from above.

After listening for a few seconds, his eyes quickly widened and then closed. The TEG had acted faster than the TSAB had anticipated and had seized the remaining Lost Logia. Now all they could do was guard the place as well as they could.

"You all will be part of the Asari Thread Negation Force, or the ATNF for short. You will be treated as a black ops corps from now on, code name Riot 6. I assume most of you are at least knowledgeable of the process. You are to board the cruiser _Feraldia_ at 2100 hours. Further instructions will be given by Captain Jefir on board. Dismissed."

The general seemed to be in a hurry to leave. He didn't even pay attention to the people he left behind. He was continuously getting paler and had started to sweat. By the time he was down the hall, he was barely more than a shadow of his former self. They couldn't allow _them_ to get back.

With the general gone, the remaining people relaxed. Most of them were several ranks below general, and even the ones in higher positions wouldn't dare to speak back to a general like Hayate just had. Said brown-haired mage was quickly approached by her two friends, Nanoha Takamachi and Fate T. Harlaown, both mages holding an SS rank after passing the exam three months ago.

"It's good to see you, Hayate. You were really brave to talk to a general like that," Nanoha said.

"It's just too weird. Calling us three…even Subaru and Teana are here. I had to bring along Signum and the others as well. I was ordered to. I still don't understand why we nine are now patched up as a black ops corps. And they really lack originality when it comes to choosing code names." Hayate was still annoyed by the general's attitude.

"I'm actually kinda happy to be able to work with you two together for a while," Fate threw in. She looked to the woman on her right side. Since the Jail Scaglietti incident, they didn't see each other much because of work.

"Hayate." Signum appeared. "We should go. It is already 2020 hours. Testarossa. Good to see you." Signum was a member of Hayate's personal strike force and the Wolkenritter still had a healthy rivalry with Fate.

Hayate turned around and raised her voice. "Everyone, we will follow orders and board the _Feraldia_ at 2100 hours. There is still enough time to get your personal belongings, but I will not tolerate anyone being late. Dismissed!" Hayate had really gotten used to commanding a group of people in the last year. She had her own unit now, and while they were all capable people, they came a bit short compared to Riot 6.

"But what is the ATNF? I've never heard of a group named 'Asari.' Hayate, do you know something?" Nanoha was curious as to what kind of group these Asari were and why the TSAB needed to form a thread negation force for them.

"I know as much as you do. I didn't even hear about this transfer until yesterday." Hayate sighed and stretched her back. She was quite worn from all the sitting in an office chair, filing reports and other official work.

Hayate, Nanoha and Fate left the room and continued to walk down the hallway to their quarters. While the general had said that they had time to gather personal belongings, it was mostly cartridges and mission-related things they needed. Since it had been on such urgent notice, none of them had brought more than necessary.

"All of the present members were in Riot 6 three years ago. Do you think that's coincidence?" Fate was walking next to Nanoha, both of them a step behind Hayate. While they were old friends, Hayate was of a higher rank. Despite her claims she didn't like them doing it, it would cause trouble if others saw the three act indifferently about their ranks.

"I don't. Everyone here is S rank at least. Tea and Subaru took the exam just a month ago. I was in the jury. I completely forgot, but congratulations on passing your SS-rank exam, you two." Hayate turned around, showing a bright smile on her face.

"Thank you, Hayate." Both mages responded synchronously to the congratulations and looked at each other, smiling.

They reached Hayate's quarters first. "I'll see you on board. Don't be late. Understood, Nanoha?" Hayate smirked and vanished through the open door, leaving a blushing Fate and Nanoha behind. Signum left at the same time, carrying a small bag of belongings, mostly cartridges, spare clothes and necessaries for a trip. If they had to board a cruiser, then they would be transported a considerable distance.

Fate and Nanoha walked in the opposite direction of Signum, who was headed to the hangar. Both of them knew about the abnormally large fleet that seemed ready for take off. But they hadn't figured that they would be on board.

"It's been a long time since we were in the same unit, Fate-chan." Nanoha was a little excited about working with her partner again after three years. But she was also worried about what would cause the TSAB to rally up all of their aces.

"I'm happy we can spend more time together now. But I'm worried about Vivio, Nanoha…" Fate was always pampering Vivio a little since she was not at home as much as she liked. She and Nanoha even had quarters at the headquarters since they sometimes needed to stay overnight. They didn't share a room since they were in different divisions. Fate was in the Navy, Nanoha in the Air Force.

"I asked Ginga to look after her. I'll send her a message later. We don't have enough time to go home and tell her that we'll be gone for some time." Nanoha wasn't very happy about this state of events but she couldn't help it. In the three years since Riot 6, she had learned to obey a superior officer, even if it was sometimes painful.

Fate stopped in front of a door that led to a small room—her quarters. It was mostly just a small bed, a desk and a bathroom, since it only served her as quarters when she didn't have time to go home or had to work overtime.

Despite the fact that most of the TSAB knew that they lived together and owned a house on Mid-Childa where they lived with Vivio, not many knew that they were in a romantic relationship. Those that knew, mainly former Riot 6 members, kept quiet about it. Looking left and right, Nanoha checked if there was someone watching them. When it seemed all clear, she quickly stepped closer and kissed Fate for a second.

The blond woman wasn't as surprised as she should have been but still blushed. "Nanoha…" Fate was especially happy that this new black ops corps was entirely made of former Riot 6 members. That way, she and Nanoha didn't have to hide that they were going out.

"I'll see you at the hangar, Fate-chan," Nanoha said while they were still close together, then quickly stepped away. Not many people tolerated romantic relationships between military personnel.

Nanoha's quarters were a level down, since she was in the Air Force. Most of the more advanced soldiers and mages joined the Navy, and so it was often treated as superior division to the Air Force and the ground forces. Hayate had been promoted to brigadier general, which was why her quarters were up here.

Everything was weird. Why had the council not made them an official unit? Why a black ops corps? Was it that urgent? True, the TEG had been very active lately from what Fate reported, but what exactly was imprisoned at that particular dimensional gate? Was it really reason enough to pull all of them from their positions and form a corps just for it?

Nanoha was short on cartridges. Not even two dozen were left. She rarely kept many of them at her quarters here because her home was close to the ground forces HQ and she rarely worked with the naval forces. That fact was now hurting her. Well, she had to make some more later. Hopefully she wouldn't need them.

When she returned to Fate's room, it seemed the blond woman was already gone. Nanoha checked the time via a magical terminal that was accessible anywhere in headquarters. It was 2040 hours. She had to hurry. But she was not the only one late.

With a sudden gust of wind, one of her former students raced past her—Subaru Nakajima. After noticing that she wasn't the only one late, Subaru decelerated. "Nanoha-san."

Nanoha was still a superior officer, but the combat instructor felt most comfortable when she wasn't addressed as such by her friends, even at work.

"Why am I not surprised you're the only other one that's late?" Nanoha didn't stop to talk, instead she increased her pace. It seemed like nothing, not even Teana, was able to fix Subaru's lax nature. "And stop using your device inside headquarters. There is still enough time to get there normally. Hayate would scold you if she saw you coming on Mach Caliber," Nanoha scolded her and watched the blue-haired girl avert her eyes in shame.

The way to the hangar was a short one and they knew they would have enough time to talk later, so they postponed the matter of seeing each other again for the first time in months. Fate and Teana, their respective better parts, were already waiting for them at the hangar doors.

"Cruiser _Feraldia_ ready for takeoff. Cruiser _Feraldia_ ready for takeoff." The voice of a young woman boomed through the hangar. It was 2055 hours. Without many words, they got on board and were immediately directed to their quarters. It seemed to be an overnight trip.

The soldier that escorted Fate and Nanoha seemed familiar. "Major Takamachi, Lt. Commander Testarossa Harlaown." He saluted and then pressed several buttons on the door's security lock. "Your combination is AX7203. Captain Jefir wants to see all of you at 2130 hours in his office." He saluted again and then quickly withdrew from the hallway.

It was the same for all of them. Hayate, as brigadier general, was the only superior officer on board the _Feraldia_ and was assigned the VIP quarters. The Wolkenritter were assigned 2nd lieutenant quarters. It seemed like the TSAB knew very well how many rooms they'd need.

Teana was assigned the 1st lieutenant quarters, while Subaru as her armed aide was assigned to a regular Warrant Officer room.

The _Feraldia_ was one of the smaller vessels in the fleet. It was one of twenty cruiser class warships present. Beyond that there were eight destroyer class warships and one dreadnought class warship, the _Judgment_, a planet killer.

A considerably large fleet but only a small margin of the TSA's main forces. The joint forces counted over four hundred cruisers, nearly one hundred-fifty destroyer ships, and in total eight dreadnoughts, of which the _Eternal_ was the most powerful ship to ever be built, easily capable of wiping out whole planets. Now, all dreadnoughts were classified as planet-killer ships.

The quarters were small but comfortable. It was 2125 hours by the time everyone had crammed into Captain Jefir's office. Zafira had shape-shifted into his humanoid form and was wearing a military uniform, like everyone else. When the captain entered the room, everyone saluted, followed by Hayate and the captain greeting each other like even-ranked soldiers.

"Captain Jefir, I'd like to know what all this is about. We were all called to headquarters on urgent notice and then almost immediately transported to an unknown location. I'd like an explanation of what is going on."

The captain knew Hayate from rumors, but wasn't intimidated by her status of being a superior officer. He was tall, muscular, had short dark brown hair, very bushy eyebrows, and refined features. He walked behind his desk and pushed a few buttons, unveiling a large screen on the wall behind his desk.

A map. It was showing the galaxy, with Mid-Childa at its center. "Before I explain to you the contents of this mission, I'd like to tell every one of you that there is an absolute gag order from the High Council on the details of this mission. Even I was only briefed yesterday about this. That is how urgent this is."

He pushed another button and the word "Asari" was displayed on the screen in marvelous font. "The Asari are, as far as we know, survivors of a civilization that was even superior to Al-Hazard. We have very little info on the actual persona, but we know names and estimated abilities. Those Asari are supposedly also responsible for driving the Belkans into warmongering, but that is only a theory that Head Researcher Yuuno Sycra of the Infinite Library published as of late."

He paused meaningfully. Nobody asked questions. This was not an explanation. This was a briefing.

"Now, a hundred years ago, those Asari had gained so much power and followers that it seemed virtually impossible to overthrow them. The Asari were worshipped as gods, and the numbers of their followers is estimated to have been in the millions. The TSAB at that time managed to trap their leader and the rest of them in a dimensional prison. I assume you already figured that this is Dimension 4AXC-AIX-77721-AX that I am talking about."

Hayate stepped forward and raised an interesting question. "But they must be long dead. A hundred years is a very long time, too long for any human being. Why break the seal now? Why go through all the effort?" Hayate stepped back and waited for a response. Brigadier General Yagami and the kind Hayate when she was off-duty seemed like totally different people.

"Those aren't humans. When I talked about the Ancient Belkans and a hundred years ago, I mean the very same people. There are four of them." Another push on buttons and four women were displayed with several info bubbles around them. While three of them were listed together, one of them was separate on the right, her name written in red.

"These four are still imprisoned in the alternate dimension, waiting to be freed. The TEG are their loyal followers. They are the last of the tremendous amount of followers they once had. Intel was delivered while you were briefed about your reassignment as ATNF that the TEG stole the remaining Logia to break the seal."

Hayate interrupted yet again. "Why was nothing done to prevent this? According to what you say, these Asari are an incredible threat to us." She knew that it was bad manners to interrupt a captain on his own ship, but she could only take so many arbitrary orders before she started questioning them.

"It was already too late when we caught wind of their plan. I don't have details, but it seems like the TEG has more resources than we thought. They wiped out the stations the Logia were kept in. There were no survivors. Over two hundred soldiers died trying to protect the Logia." The general clenched his fist.

"The High Council has decided to form a black ops corps to deal with this situation. It would take much too long to create a new division for this purpose. We simply lack the time. We are heading to inter-dimensional coordinates 00092-92041 as we speak, the site of the sealing gate."

Teana and Fate, familiar with dimensional coordinates, knew that it was the very edge of the known universe they were heading to. Just a few light years ahead was a high-density zone and the boundary for known space.

"Your mission is to stop the TEG from breaking the seal. You are authorized to use deadly force and are ordered to do so if necessary. The council has given Level 7 clearance for you." The general had started to sweat a bit.

Level 7 was clearance to override any mission concerning decisions from anyone below brigadier general.

"We cannot, under any circumstances, allow the TEG to succeed. It might sound exaggerated if I say the fate of the galaxy depends on the success of this mission, but trust me…it is not." He was sweating heavily now. He had been ordered not to say too much, but these people had to know. Had to know what they were dealing with.

"The Asari are invincible monsters. They are so far removed from normal human beings that the sheer thought of them being freed sends a chill down my spine. They supposedly were involved in the disappearance of Al-Hazard and the Ancient Belka. They have been alive for centuries. We cannot, under any circumstances, allow them to continue where they left off a hundred years ago."

"Captain…" Hayate was worried. The captain of a warship was usually a tough guy, but to act like this was very unusual. "We will stop them." She wasn't so sure about the use of lethal force. Those Asari were still people, and no matter how bad they were, they deserved a fair trial.

"I pray to God you are right. We will arrive at the location at 0455 hours. You all better get some rest. Dismissed." He pushed a button and the screen behind him went black.

Everyone except Hayate saluted and left the room, leaving Hayate behind. Looking at the pale Captain, she nodded, then saluted and left his room. Outside, everyone was a little disturbed by what they had learned inside.

"I've never heard of a mission that got authorization for use of lethal force from the High Council ahead of time," Nanoha started. "I don't like it."

Fate was standing next to her, looking more worried than disturbed. There was nothing that far out at the edge of the galaxy. No planets, no suns, just darkness. If they built a dimensional prison out there, then they must have had good reason to do so.

Initially, all of them had been happy to work together with each other after three years of going their separate ways, but this mission left them hanging a bit. Asari. People that were supposedly immortal and so powerful that they were even supposed to use lethal force to stop the TEG from freeing them.

"Brigadier General Yagami?" A soldier approached them from behind and saluted to Hayate. "I have orders from Captain Jefir to escort you and your unit to the security deck for the limiter removal."

"I haven't heard of any order like that," Hayate simply replied, and it just added to her confusion. Her limiter leveled her down to AA+, and everyone else was close to that. It was extremely odd for limiters to be completely removed. Released, yes, but not _removed_. Hayate hadn't heard of that even happening ever since she joined the Bureau.

"I have clear orders from the Captain, ma'am. I am to escort the members of the ATNF corps to the security deck where an agent of the High Council will remove the limiters of all members, ma'am." He saluted again. He obviously was intimidated by Hayate's position.

"Of _all_ members?" Hayate was now a bit suspicious. It was one thing if only hers, or maybe even Nanoha's and Fate's limiters were lifted, but everyone's? The council must be really serious about their order of using deadly force.

"Yes, ma'am. Please, if you would follow me." The soldier turned sideways and seemed ready to guide them to the security deck, a part of the ship that was magically shielded from observation. It was rarely used except for coded transmissions.

Hayate just nodded and without a word, everyone followed her. They passed several soldiers that looked at them in surprise and amazement. It was an extremely rare occurrence to see so many high-ranking mages on board the same ship. Some of them were just staring because the entire squad, with exception of the soldier in front and Zafira in the back, was made up of women.

They reached the shielded door to the security deck. "Please, enter one by one. The agent inside will explain everything to you. Ma'am!" He saluted again and then quickly left, seemingly out of breath. It must be hard for a normal soldier to deal with the pressure of leading so many high-ranking people through the ship.

"I am going first," Hayate said, and entered. She didn't know what to expect, but this was certainly a surprise. The heavy door closed behind her and the others were left outside, alone.

"Don't you need approval by a general or the High Council to have your limiter partially removed?" Subaru started up a conversation.

Teana immediately turned around and sighed. Subaru was a good fighter and Teana really liked her, but sometimes she was really lacking in the information department. "You need direct authorization from your supervisor. In Hayate's case, that would be the High Council itself. In Year 0077, limiters became standard for mages exceeding AA+ rank. That's why almost everyone here has one. How often do you want me to explain this to you, you nuthead?" Teana was very knowledgeable about theoretical things. As she aspired to become an enforcer, she had to be. But it was hard work. The TSAB was full of rarely used rules and exceptions.

"But isn't it dangerous to completely remove limiters? I mean, they place them for _some_ reason." Subaru was not very interested in memorizing these things. She relied on Teana for that.

"It _is_ dangerous. But I guess that just shows that the council doesn't mind a disturbance this far out if it means success." Teana made a pensive face and thought about it carefully.

The door opened seconds after Teana answered Subaru. Hayate came out with a smile. "You two will be surprised by who the agent is. Also, they completely removed my limiter. I have full control up to my full SS+ rank now."

"I will talk to the captain again and see if I can find anything out. The council is clearly overreacting, ordering the use of deadly force and removing the limiters of everyone in this unit," Hayate said, and quickly vanished. There was a bit of lingering atmospheric magic where she had just been standing, an effect of the limiter's removal.

"I'm going next," Nanoha said, and stepped through the door. After her eyes adjusted to the weak light inside, she quickly recognized the agent. "Chrono-kun!" She then instantly remembered his rank and saluted. "Admiral Harlaown. It is good to see you again."

"No need to be so formal. We're old friends, aren't we?" Chrono smiled and waited for Nanoha to stop acting formal before he looked through a batch of documents on the desk in the room. "Takamachi…Takamachi…I didn't know you've been promoted to major, Nanoha."

Chrono pulled out a document that had several signatures on it. "I am not happy that so many of my friends are being sent on a mission this crazy, but there is nothing I can do about it. The High Council decided that it would be better to be careful. Give me your right hand, please, and hold your device." Chrono stretched out his own hand and waited for Nanoha to take his.

"I don't even know what to think of this mission, Chrono-kun. They are talking about some hundred-year-old prisoners that will doom the galaxy when they are freed. It sounds like a bad movie," Nanoha said and stretched out her right hand, holding Raising Heart in it.

As soon as Chrono touched her hand with his own, several small black magic circles appeared on top of Nanoha's hand. The limiter. Chrono took a deep breath and then went on to read the document. Even he couldn't ignore regulations, and knowing he had to read that document a few more times, he was starting to get a headache.

"Under the authority given to me by the High Council of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, I hereby remove all limiter magic from Major Nanoha Takamachi of the TSAB Air Force Division. Personal code E927-CA17-DF0, authorization code A92-70-12." All magic circles broke instantaneously and dispersed into the air. Chrono sighed and put the document back on the desk.

"Tell Fate to come in next. I have to lift hers, Signum's, and Vita's, as well as Teana and Subaru's limiters. I'm surprised the last two even got one, considering how they barely passed the S-rank test. I'd love to talk a bit with you guys in the officers' lounge later, but I need to leave as soon as I finish work. Try to get some rest. The next few days will be rough on you." Chrono was always serious about his TSAB work.

Nanoha could feel for the first time ever the foul amount of power of an SS-rank mage. It somehow was odd to be left without any limiter at all, but it wasn't a bad feeling. "I am happy to see you again, Chrono. I am sure Fate will be too."

With a smile, Nanoha left, aware that Chrono probably would have to fill out a lot of reports for this later. Just like Hayate, she left the security deck with a smile.

"You'll love the agent, Fate-chan. He said you should come in next. Then Signum, Vita, Teana and Subaru last," Nanoha explained. Shamal and Zafira didn't have limiters, as Shamal was mostly a medical and recon-specialized mage and Zafira's shape-shifting was causing problems with the limiter magic.

"I'll send Ginga a message before we enter hyperspace. I'll wait for you in the officers' lounge, Fate-chan." Nanoha smiled and turned, on her way to the bridge, where she would ask for an open channel to the TSAB ground forces HQ.

Relieved that Vivio would be safe and cared for, Fate entered the security deck.

=== Limitless ===

After Subaru finally had her limiter lifted, they all said goodbye to Chrono as he left. Even though they were still in planetary orbit of the TSAB, the preparations to go into hyperdrive were going on. It was way too far to go with normal engines to the outer edge of the galaxy. Even with a hyperdrive it would take a few hours.

Sitting together in the officers' lounge, the lot that was now the ATNF, a black ops corps, was being oddly quiet.

"It's…weird, isn't it? I haven't had my limiter lifted since I passed the AAA exam." Subaru threw her thought into the room, hoping someone would pick it up and start a conversation. But they all were confused. Being completely without limits was something they had not experienced ever since enlisting in the TSAB and reaching certain ranks.

The atmosphere in the room was dense with magical energy, leaking from their linker cores that were not used to maintaining this level of energy. It was like opening a dam after months of heavy rain.

The room was just one long table with roughly ten chairs, barely enough to sit all of them. After Chrono had lifted all of their limiters, he gave final instructions before leaving.

"The order for lethal force comes directly from the High Council. You better follow it. Hayate, you are the leader of this unit, and Nanoha and Fate are your subs. There are arrangements if you have to use authority." He then proceeded to explain the details of their new unit.

The ATNF. The Asari Thread Negation Force. A unit put together to stop the TEG from freeing those monsters from the dimensional prison. Almost completely composed of mages with S or higher ranks, it was the most powerful mobile assault force in the whole TSAB. Despite their few numbers, they posed a threat to enemy forces that was not to be underestimated.

Hayate's new authorization code was Solar One. Nanoha was going by Solar Two, Fate by Solar Three. Subaru followed up with Solar Four, and Teana ended the unit with Solar Five. The Wolkenritter, as Hayate's personal vanguard, were categorized differently, as Levitas One to Four, with Signum as their leader. All together, they were a small unit under the direct orders of the High Council itself, authorized to overrule any decision made by a brigadier general or lower-ranking officer if it concerned the mission.

Nobody was happy about this mission. Hayate had not gotten any additional info out of the captain. All they knew was that they had to guard the small facility that surrounded the dimensional seal. Several ships were already positioned in the space directly around it.

Teana stood up and looked at the digital clock. It was 2330 hours. They would have to get up again in roughly five hours. Teana knew it was a futile attempt to even try and pretend that she didn't share her room with Subaru, so she didn't bother.

"I'm going to bed, everyone. I'll see you in five hours." Teana still couldn't fully grasp the importance of her mission, but she was well aware that lack of sleep wasn't going to be of help when they arrived. According to the info they had gotten from the soldiers on board, the TEG could make their move any day now.

Subaru quickly stood up herself, looked around, saluted quickly and then went after Teana. The others could hear the young couple talk in the hallway. "Tea, you're so mean, leaving me like that!" Subaru's voice was so loud that probably a few soldiers heard them as well.

"Don't be so loud! I knew you'd just follow me, so there was no need to rub it in their faces!" Teana argued back and sighed loudly. After a short break, they could hear Subaru complain again, but this time they couldn't understand anything.

There was an awkward silence in the officers' lounge. "I always knew they would hit it off one day." Hayate said, and grinned from one ear to another. Everyone broke out in laughter after a few seconds, and the atmosphere was finally not as heavy anymore.

"But she _is_ right. We really should get some rest too. Right, Nanoha?" Fate looked to her side and for a moment, everyone looked at her like a ghost.

"Like teacher, like student," Hayate said and this time grinned in Nanoha's direction, which made Fate blush in embarrassment and look for an excuse.

"That's not what I meant, Hayate! Really, you're still like that. You haven't changed one bit!" Fate complained back at the brunette before looking away.

After a bit of amusing silence, Hayate herself got up. "But you're both right. I'll see you tomorrow. Don't be late. Fate, I'll trust you to kick her out of bed if necessary." And with that, the brigadier general left the room, followed by her personal guards. Signum stopped short before leaving the room.

"You haven't changed, Testarossa." It was accompanied by a smile.

Hayate caught a few soldiers gossiping about Teana and Subaru and gave them a warning glare not to spread rumors. They immediately turned around and continued to work instead. Hayate didn't take kindly to the badmouthing of her friends.

But it _was_ a little bit surprising to see how they had changed. Back in Riot 6, they had been friends, from what she could tell, but now there was a different aura about them. A bit like Nanoha and Fate. Hayate sometimes wondered if it was a coincidence that so many of her friends turned out to be interested in each other.

=== Limitless ===

The "morning" came way too soon.

Nanoha woke up lying on her side, a whole lot of blond hair in her immediate line of sight. Even though the beds were a lot smaller than the ones they had at home, Fate and Nanoha had somehow managed. Knowing they would need the sleep, they postponed any nightly activities for later and went to sleep quickly.

Fate was still snuggled in Nanoha's arms and sleeping soundly. "Fate-chan, wake up." Nanoha leaned forward and kissed Fate's forehead. The digital clock said 0430, so they had a little less than twenty-five minutes to get up and dressed. There was no time to take an extensive shower. A short one had to suffice.

After slowly getting up, Nanoha decided to let Fate sleep until she had finished showering. There was little else to do for her before she could shower anyway. It was difficult to get out of bed without waking Fate up with her movements.

Too difficult. "Nanoha…?" Fate was still half asleep but noticed that something was missing. Nanoha had stolen out of bed and was halfway to the small bathroom.

"Taking a shower. We don't have much time so…hm. Fate-chan…want to shower with me? That way, we can shower twice as long," Nanoha suggested and already decided that it was much better than to shower separately. Going back to the bed, she knelt down and looked right into Fate's red eyes. "Wake uuuup," she whispered, and caressed the cheek of the blond woman.

"I still wonder how you can be active after sleeping so little…" Fate yawned and sat up, first stretching, then looking a bit ashamed. "I'll shower with you."

Nanoha had already undressed on her way to the bathroom. The shower was small, so they would have to literally stand back-to-back in there to fit. But it wouldn't be the first time.

=== Limitless ===

By the time they were finished and dressed, Hayate and the Wolkenritter were already in the officers' lounge. They still had about five minutes until they dropped out of hyperspace.

"I would've bet you two'd be late. Morning, Nanoha, Fate." As she lifted a cup full of strong coffee, Hayate greeted both of them.

While Fate sat down next to her, Nanoha went to get two more cups. The ship was bustling with activity even at this hour as they prepared to drop out of hyperspace. Putting more sugar than usual in her own coffee, Nanoha took both cups back to the table and sat next to Fate.

Signum and Shamal were quietly drinking coffee, while Zafira was in his beast form, lying on the ground taking a nap until they arrived. Vita was lying on the table, half asleep.

"I don't see Teana and Subaru. Did they oversleep?" Nanoha asked and then noticed the big black circles under Hayate's eyes. "You didn't sleep well?"

With a big sigh, Hayate looked at the inside of her cup. She had developed the annoying habit of moving a lot at night, thus, in the small beds on this ship, she literally fell out of them a few minutes after she fell asleep. "Not much, no." Hayate tried to force a smile, but yawned instead.

"This is Captain Jefir. The _Feraldia_ will now drop out of hyperspace. I repeat, the _Feraldia_ will now drop out of hyperspace."

Nanoha looked at the clock. Three minutes early. And Teana and Subaru were late on the very first day. Well, it was probably Hayate's job to scold them, but she really didn't seem in the mood to deal with that sort of thing right now.

Seconds after Nanoha thought that, the door flew open and a very out-of-breath Teana and Subaru came running into the room. "They're early! We would've been right on time if they hadn't dropped out early!" Teana complained.

The mood froze. Then Nanoha burst out in laughter, and so did Hayate. Signum was turning around and quietly laughing to herself, while Shamal was looking on in amusement at the two S-rank mages.

"You shouldn't wake up at the last minute," Shamal commented, and pulled a small mirror from her pocket. "Here, look."

Teana looked in the mirror and immediately noticed what was wrong. They had been in such a hurry that not only she had left her hair undone, but there were several blue hairs all over the place in her long hair.

But that was not all. Teana also had a big blue-purple mark on her neck, which was obvious to anyone less than five meters away. Subaru quickly took a look when Teana touched the spot and then averted her eyes, thinking that she was in a pinch. Shamal then proceeded to have Subaru look in the mirror, who gasped for air. Several at least meter-long orange strands were standing out from her quite thoroughly rumpled hair.

With an angry look, Teana left her partner standing where she was and marched over to quickly get a cup of coffee before they left for the site. Subaru knew that talking to her right now would make everything worse. She didn't like coffee, so she sat down between Shamal and Vita.

"That Subaru…knew I'd leave a mark…" Quietly ranting, Teana took a big gulp of coffee and sighed.

Shamal leaned to her side and whispered something that apparently annoyed Teana. But shortly after that, the annoyance left and was replaced by relief.

A sudden shake went through the ship when it docked. There was no need for the other ships to dock, so it was only a matter of dropping Hayate and her unit off before going back into stationary orbit around the facility.

"Brigadier General Yagami and her unit, please respond to the hangar immediately. I repeat—" The voice was echoing through the ship. Taking a deep breath and gulping the last bit of coffee in her cup, Hayate stood up.

"It's time, everyone. Shamal, will you wake up Vita, please? Nanoha, Fate is all yours." Hayate left first, followed by Signum and Zafira. Subaru, who was now trying to calm down her partner, followed with Teana after. Nanoha, after getting Fate back from the realm of sleep, left shortly before Shamal, who had problems waking up Vita.

The captain of the _Feraldia_ was waiting for them. The station lacked proper docking equipment, so they had opened the hangar for them to leave.

"I wish you the best of luck, Brigadier General Yagami. No—members of the ATNF." He then proceeded to salute, along with everyone in sight. It almost seemed like they were war heroes or something.

Hayate, and everyone else, saluted as well and then left. The ship's hangar door closed as soon as they were gone. A man in a uniform she had never seen before came up to Hayate. "ATNF, I assume? Follow me." No salute. No greeting. This was now a military operation that didn't officially exist.

The man led them into a big room that had been remodeled for this mission. A large terminal was in the back and a screen in front. "Headquarters said they would dispatch a special unit, a new black ops corps called ATNF. I'll make this short. If the TEG appears, we will shoot down their ships. There will be no warning, no negotiation. Yagami-san, you will be positioned on an orbital firing platform. We have devices in place in order to suppress any telepathy inside and out to prevent security leaks. You will be in permanent radio contact with the control center." The soldier turned around, facing Nanoha and Fate.

Fate recognized him. Alen El Sephas, a renowned tactician. He was not only famous for his exploits in a war twenty years ago, but also his merciless attitude. He did not negotiate with the enemy.

Nanoha couldn't take this talk. "Shoot them down without warning? That's cowardly! We should at least use warning shots." She knew that modern warships were equipped with AMF generators to deflect or lessen the impact of incoming magical attacks, but that would hardly be enough.

"Takamachi, this is not just any mission. We are the last wall between monsters far beyond your imagination and this dimension. They will not wait for us to warn them. They will not ask us to give up our positions. They are _fanatics_. They will strike when we least expect it, in a way we don't expect." The soldier then proceeded to open a digital terminal in mid-air and opened up a document.

"The High Council of the TSAB puts all of you under my command. For the duration of the operation, I have the authority of admiral general. Admiral General El Sephas. Understand?" It was not really a question.

Nanoha gritted her teeth but had to comply. Unless she wanted to risk a military trial or even be thrown into the brig, she had to obey. But she was not going to use lethal force without warning.

"Solar Two and Three, you two are to stand guard directly to the sealing room just in case. If anyone approaches—_anyone_—shoot them. Do not let them pass. If you two are passed, nothing stands between the unsealing. I am well aware from your record that neither of you has ever used lethal force during a mission, but this is an order. It is either you or them going down."

Fate nodded and was relieved she didn't have Hayate's job. The former brigadier general was as pale as a ghost. An actual weapons platform. It was maybe a three-meter atmosphere separated from space by a magical shield. It was the ultimate sniping platform.

"Levitas, you will be on call for any emergency situations. I am aware that you four are Yagami's vanguard, but there is little to nothing you can do up there. Protect the soldiers here in her name."

He knew what to say, Nanoha had to admit that. Positioning her and Fate as guard, knowing they would probably object to the use of lethal force. Using the Wolkenritter as mobile squad to cover breaks.

"Solar Four and Five will provide support for Levitas. There is no use for a sniper against massive battleships. That is all." He turned around and four men entered the room as if they had been waiting for his booming, powerful voice to stop.

"Yagami-san, please, this way." One soldier was escorting Hayate away. She was still pale and talking to Reinforce II. She would need her unison if she had to accurately disable ships instead of blasting them virtually to bits. Trusting that she could do this without causing too many causalities wasn't making her feel much better, but it was a start.

"Takamachi-san, Harlaown-san." Two soldiers saluted before them. "Follow us, please."

The hallways seemed endless. Nanoha had never been ordered to use lethal force. She had never killed anyone before. But hoping that Hayate could prevent anyone from getting here in the first place was just as horrible.

"Nanoha…" Fate was painfully reminded of her days working to collect the jewel seeds. During that time she wouldn't have hesitated to kill. But now, things were different. She didn't want to take the lives of people, even if they were criminals.

"I'm okay, Fate-chan. I'll try to hold back." Nanoha tried to force a smile, but the effort was in vain. The two soldiers passed several ID checks. Card. Iris-scan. Fingerprints. There were also several checks Nanoha didn't even notice.

"You will not be able to leave these rooms unless someone with security clearance lets you out. This door leads to the seven sealing rooms, one room for each Logia. Nobody is allowed past here, not even generals and admirals. There is a restroom to the right, and food is delivered every eight hours. There is a change in shift every twelve hours. Best of luck!" The soldiers saluted and left them.

"I feel like a prisoner…" Nanoha felt terrible. This mission was the worst.

"I'm sure Hayate will manage it somehow. She has Rein, she won't need to destroy the ships despite what this guy says." Fate tried to console the usually steadfast Nanoha, but it only helped a little.

"I sure hope so…"

=== Limitless ===

The central control room. It was usually quite empty, only a few soldiers monitoring data and scanners, but now it was full. Soldiers everywhere. Hayate had already taken position on the orbital platform and was waiting with Reinforce II in unison mode.

"I don't want to do this…" Hayate was talking to herself. She knew that disobeying direct orders from the council would end very badly and that they wouldn't have ordered them to do this if it wasn't necessary, but still…

Rein's voice echoed through her mind. _"I'm sure it'll be okay, Hayate."_

Rein was feeling insecure even though she just tried to reassure Hayate. Why lethal force? Maybe they could get around it if Hayate targeted the propulsion systems of the ships…

A booming alarm. The control room suddenly fell silent.

"Hyperspace portal opening…directly above us, sir!" A soldier reported from the hyperspace scanner. "It's a ship! A transport. It's on collision course. Twenty-seven seconds until impact!" The soldier was staring on the scanner. A suicide course!

Sephas lost no time. "Solar One. Destroy the ship. It's a suicide mission!" he shouted into his transmitter, and then watched the scanner.

Hayate's expression changed. Were they really using suicide attacks? Was _this_ their way of fighting? If that was the case, she didn't need to hold back. She didn't _want_ to hold back. If they were forfeiting their lives to take hers, she would not stand idly back and watch.

Hayate had already chosen her spell. The giant white triangle below her feet signaled that the spell was under way. Six enormous triangles formed right next to the ship—remote magic circles. It wasn't a direct blast attack. She couldn't do that here. But there was an excellent spell for this scenario. She just had to get the timing right…

"Eight seconds to impact! Six! _Four!_" The soldiers shouted through the control room.

"_Jotunheimr__!_" Hayate shouted and unleashed the energy that had built up. Each triangle itself became an energy beam directly crashing into the enemy vessel, acting like an unstoppable avalanche, crushing everything in its way. The ship was right in the middle of the six triangles, one to each side and one above and below.

With one last blow, the enemy vessel exploded just margins away from the station. The shock wave rumbled through the facility. It was like an earthquake in space.

Out of breath due to the sudden exercise, Hayate tabbed her radio transmitter. "Bogey taken out."

Taking a deep breath, Hayate knew this was not the end. Her initial doubts had largely vanished. A surprise suicide attack out of hyperspace was the most cowardly thing she had ever seen.

"Another bogey at coordinates 9187-1050! Wait…one more at 2051-8712! They're attacking in waves! Ninety-two and fifty-four seconds to impact!"

"Fire everything we have! Radio the _Judgment_ to destroy bogey number one! Solar One, do you read me? Take down the bogey that's right on top of us! All cruisers open fire on bogey number two!"

Hayate was not getting a break. Another massive vessel on impact course was right above her. Jotunheimr would destroy her and the facility alongside with the vessel.

"_Rein, we're going for a full power attack. I don't need to aim at this range._" Hayate was going in for the kill this time. If they were this desperate to destroy them, then she would not hesitate to fight for her life and the lives of everyone else here. A massive triangle below her and directly above her formed seconds later.

A critical mass of energy was forming right on top of the second triangle. Hayate had enough time. She still couldn't feel the pressure of the approaching vessel. She would show them what it meant to challenge an SS+-rank mage!

"Wielder of Lightning and Fire, Construct of the Gods, let your rage strike upon those who defy me! _Mjöllnir__!_"

A piercing beam of energy impacted the front of the ship and ran through it like a spear, impaling it thorough. As she moved Schwertkreuz right over her head, Hayate shifted all her energy from power to control.

"_Strike__!_"

The single ray of energy grew branches, like a rose grows thorns, and breached the hull, running through the entire ship as if a thousand nails of light had been hammered into it. With an enormous explosion, the second ship exploded.

"Bogey number four and number five also on collision course! They're out of range for the _Judgment_'s dimensional weapon! Another hyperspace window opening! Four vessels from 4023-2174! They're heading for the port!"

"Solar One, we can deal with invaders. I need you to take down the other ships! Don't worry if you scrape the station, we have AMFs on the outer hulls!" Sephas commanded. He already knew it was futile to believe they would be able to shoot down all of the ships.

Meanwhile, the _Judgment_ was in a pinch. The whole ship was on battle alert and they had just fired their main weapon, a dimension-warping beam that destroyed everything in its way. They had the bogey taken out, but couldn't fire the weapon again until it had recharged.

"Sir! Hyperspace window opening right behind us! It's their main fleet. Eight vessels, one of them dreadnought class. It's locking onto us…it's powering up weapons! Impact in two minutes!"

The commander of the _Judgment_ was a veteran with forty years of service behind him. He would not be taken down like this. "Fire everything we have. Put shields to maximum power. We need to buy time. The fact that they brought out their main fleet means they are serious now, no more suicide ramming attacks!"

It was a gamble. There was no time to waste. That spell was dangerous, but Rein was with Hayate and she trusted her. "_Rein, I leave the aiming to you. I need to concentrate on not messing this up._" Hayate knew it was risky. If this went wrong, the entire complex could explode.

"_Be doomed by the wrath of darkness. __Nifflheimr__!_" A seemingly solid black sphere, rapidly growing, erupted before Hayate. "_Rein!_" Hayate shouted. It was immensely difficult to maintain the spell. It was on timed activation and Hayate could not hold on indefinitely.

"_Not yet…not yet, Hayate!_" The first ship would impact in less than twenty seconds.

"_Rein!_" Hayate was desperate. The fabric on her gloves was slowly disintegrating from the sheer power.

"_Now, Hayate!_" Rein gave the command and not even a full second later the sphere changed form and became a pillar, racing against time towards the ship. It impacted with the force of a dimensional weapon, but there was no explosion. Instead, it pushed the ship into its line of fire, taking it with it. A hypermagnetic beam of magic energy.

Yelling out in pain from the magic drain, Hayate's sight was getting blurry. This spell was way beyond her control, even in unison mode. It was truly an energy from a place worse than hell.

She watched as the first ship crashed into the second one, causing a chain explosion which destroyed both ships with an amazing force. But Hayate had to pay the price for saving the lives of the others.

"I'm leaving this to you, everyone…"

=== Limitless ===

The _Judgment_ was destroyed. Taking a full hit of the enemy's dreadnought vessel was too much. But they had not gone down without taking half of the enemy fleet with them. The first two ships had already unloaded their forces into the port. It was like an invasion of ants, a never-ending amount of cultists, armed with illegal arms and magic users.

Teana had taken place on a tower high above the port. Over the course of the last three years, Cross Mirage had undergone several modifications. Taking a cartridge from an ammo girdle, Teana changed Cross Mirage into Sniper Rifle mode. With a special cartridge, Teana didn't need to take aim. No matter where she shot, she would hit her target. But that was not good enough.

A new ship was just coming in and Teana loaded five more cartridges. "Loading BE cartridge!" The device responded accordingly. "Cross Mirage, mode three, Burst Explosion."

Sniping single targets was useless. There were just way too many of them. But she could still help the others out. They were down there, doing their best. As she looked down, she saw nothing but chaos. Pure chaos. There was a steady gap of empty space between each wave of foot soldiers who died in battle with Signum and the others, but the incoming waves were endless.

But there was something only she could do. Aiming at the incoming ship, at its gate-opening mechanism, she concentrated. This would probably hurt.

"Not yet…not yet…_Burst explosion, shoot!_"

The recoil was immense. Teana was shoved against a small wall and could still feel it after all the training. The bullet hit the right part, and the resulting explosion completely destroyed it, jamming the gate and preventing it from opening.

It was a one-time shot. The enemy probably already knew how to prevent this from happening again. But there were other things she could do. Something that could help the others.

Several agents of the TEG were flying, most likely with the help of illegal magic and technology. She had never taken lives before, but she really had no choice.

"I knew this day would come when I enlisted, but I really hate shooting at people. I can't afford to mess this up. Cross Mirage, load cartridge." Sniper mode was extremely powerful, but slow and magic intensive. Lying down, Teana aimed carefully, then hesitated. Shooting at a living being was much harder when using lethal force.

"_Shoot!_" She hit a flying unit directly in the chest. In a matter of seconds, it dropped to the ground and vanished in the chaotic masses of the fight. The TEG had underestimated them. Subaru, Signum, Zafira and Vita were down there, fighting for their lives.

"There are just too many of them! And the next ship is already coming. Cross Mirage, mode four!" Teana changed to anti-aircraft mode. If she couldn't prevent them from docking, she could at least scare them off. "I only have enough cartridges for three shots in this mode left. Cross Mirage, I'm counting on you!"

The device replied and loaded six cartridges. "_Beginning charging for destruction shot. Estimated time: sixteen seconds._"

Getting up and using the wall as backup for the recoil, Teana aimed and waited for the charging to be completed. She purposely aimed too high. "_Destruct Explosion, shoot!_" Teana opened fire and the recoil almost knocked her out—this mode wasn't made to be used while under heavy strain—but she got her desired result. The explosion took out more than two-thirds of the incoming forces in the next ship.

=== Limitless ===

"_Schlangenform!_" Signum was continuously changing forms because the situation was that chaotic. She wasn't made to fight large-scale battles against an enemy that outnumbered her one hundred to one. They were holding their ground, each of them a line of defense the enemy had to pass. Signum was at the front, and occasionally she felt the shock waves of Vita using Gigantform for short periods of time to smash an incoming unit.

"_Signum, there's too many of them! We can't take them all out by ourselves. I hate to say this, but we can't keep this up._" Agito's voice echoed in Signum's mind. She knew that Signum had a limit. She was starting to get tired as well.

"_Flying Dragon Flash!_" She knew that her own limit wasn't far off. Just how many more of these did she have to take out? It seemed truly like an invasion of never-ending numbers. "_I know, Agito. I don't like retreating, but it's our only choice for now._"

"_Nachladen!_" Not many cartridges left. This was the worst. She wasn't made to fight dozens of small fries at once. It was her style to get close to her enemy and cut them, not to hold back masses. She had also come to dislike the stench of blood ever since Hayate had become her master.

The ground was stained with dead bodies and blood. It was quickly becoming impossible to fight. "_Vita! We need to fall back, it's just too many._"

The Knight of the Iron Hammer was breathing heavily and all out of cartridges. She must have crushed over a hundred of these fools, and yet there were always more and more. And that with Signum in front of her! A quick nod and both retreated from the hangar back to the last line of defense where Subaru and Zafira were.

"We need to get Tea down from there!" Nearly completely depleted of cartridges, Subaru finally understood why they had to use lethal force. There were too many. And they weren't fighting to just stun them either. It wasn't just a fight to hold them back anymore. It was a fight for survival now. The horrible feeling from taking lives was eating away on her consciousness. Teana must've been feeling the same…

"Signum-san, Zafira, can you two distract the enemy force just long enough so I can get Tea?" Subaru could use Wing Road to get up there. She had never learned to fly because she could rely on Mach Caliber for such situations.

"It seems there is no need for that." The tower Teana had taken cover on was collapsing. Apparently, enemy forces had noticed they couldn't approach from the air without being sniped, so they took down the whole tower.

"_Tea!_" Subaru yelled and watched the tower crumble. Her eyes widened in terror, and she was up and about to rush in the middle of the ruins, amidst the enemy forces to look for her, when Signum grabbed her arm quickly and held her back.

"Let me go, Signum! Tea is still over there!" Subaru shouted, trying to loosen the grip of the knight.

"She isn't. You should trust her a little more. She's an S-rank mage. There's no way she would just sit idle by and let that thing bury her." Signum explained in a calm voice.

"Would you stop stop talking and fight?" Zafira complained. It was bad enough that they had retreated back here, but now they were fighting amongst themselves.

A huge unit of enemies had been heading right at them while Subaru and Signum argued with each other. Zafira knew he couldn't handle them all, and Vita was all but a fighter specialized to take down masses. Their position would fall.

A torrent of magic bullets rained down on the enemy unit, killing more than half of the approaching forces and injuring even more. Zafira seized his opportunity in the confusion and unleashed his full power, white magic spikes impaling the rest of them.

"Stop making a fuss, idiot Subaru!" Teana landed safely next to her partner, with just a few scratches and a little cut on her left arm. "I used the dust cloud from the collapsing tower to get away. Would you have a little trust in me?" Turning around, Teana opened fire again. Rapid-fire mode was a lot of strain on her endurance, but it was perfect for scenarios like these.

"We need to retreat. There are more ships coming. I will destroy the shield generator they set up. The hangar will be exposed to the vacuum of space, but we need to get out of here." Teana knew it was a long shot, but worth the try.

"I've only got one shot at this, so Subaru, I'll trust you with my back. You better protect me." Acting tough in front of her partner was a given. It was just how Teana lived. But she was exhausted as well. With the few cartridges she had left, they would all be used up in this one final attack. After that, it was her only her own power left.

"Cross Mirage, mode four." Teana positioned herself slightly higher, on part of a collapsed wall. It was difficult to see the generator because it wasn't very big. The enemy was already firing at them. Subaru was positioned in front of her, using barriers to block incoming attacks.

"I'm trusting you on this, Lanster. Don't disappoint me." Loading her remaining cartridges, Signum posed for one last brutal attack against the enemy. While most of the time, magic energy was circulated to only knock enemies out, it was also possible to cause destructive damage with it. "_Laevatein! __Bogenform!_" Signum aimed towards in the middle of the incoming forces.

"_Explosion!_" Laevatein loaded six cartridges, going for maximal impact.

Signum aimed and knew this would not only hurt the enemy but also her. She was well beyond her capacity limit. Shamal would have to patch her up later. "_Flammender Adler!_" Signum shouted and fired the charged arrow.

It sliced straight through a ton of units until it finally lost its velocity and impacted in the middle of the hangar and exploded into a raging fireball, easily the size of an explosion comparable to Nanoha's Divine Buster.

"Tea!" Subaru was also at her limit. She had suffered several hits to her right arm, which rendered her unable to attack.

"_Starlight Breaker!_" Teana shouted, much to the surprise of Signum, Vita and Zafira, who were unaware that Nanoha had taught Teana her spell.

A piercing orange beam of energy rushed through the hangar, destroying everything in its way until it finally impacted the other end of the hall, ripping a hole in the hull. The impact of the sudden vacuum of space sucking everything out of the room was enormous. Zafira was quick to respond with a chain spell for the initial impact.

"Retreat!" Signum shouted and opened the hatch to the hallway. After everyone had finally managed to get in, Signum closed the door and broke the opening device brutally with Laevatein.

But things were far from over.

=== Limitless ===

"Another hyperspace window! It's right on top of us! Impact in eight seconds!" the soldier who monitored the scanning device shouted. Most of the fleet of the TSAB had been taken out. And now another suicide attack? Those bastards of the TEG really were dead serious about taking the facility.

"_Dammit…!_" Shepas couldn't do anything. Yagami was supposedly being treated deep inside the facility by one of her guards. If she had been out there now…

Blinding light. The immense force of the impact and the following explosion ripped apart more than half of the station, tearing it to shreds. A gigantic shock wave ran through the entire complex, followed by an explosion. It shook and the alarm went off—a booming alarm that declared that the end was near.

Nanoha and Fate had been unable to join the fight. Unable to talk to anyone with telepathy, unable to do anything. And now, the enormous force of the explosion threw them against the wall, nearly knocking them out.

Then, sudden pain ran through their bodies. It was like someone had stabbed them with a million needles.

Trying to fight against it was futile. Fate dropped to the ground and saw how Nanoha was staggering, still standing, trying to fight against the incredible pain in her head.

"Na…noha…" Losing consciousness, Fate collapsed. Nanoha couldn't call out to her. Seeing how Fate dropped to the ground was the last nail in her coffin. Nanoha's vision went blurry and she fell, unmoving, having lost consciousness before she hit the ground.

=== Limitless ===

"_Open, portal to the cage holding back the rightful lords of this universe!_" One man was shouting a seemingly endless incantation. "_Glory upon you who rule over the flow of the eternal river!_"

Nanoha was spying on them from the previous room. They hadn't noticed them. Thank God cartridges were shielded against TAMG bombs, but who knew the TEG had such advanced weaponry? It was their fault for falling for such a cheap tactic. Her only option was Starlight Breaker. The resident magic emitted by the Lost Logia was tremendous. She could still stop this.

But to use Starlight Breaker, she needed a clear line of sight as well as time to charge. She didn't have the magic energy to put up the shields to compensate for immobilization. In situations like these, she wished she had strong close combat skills like Fate did.

"Fate-chan, can you use your Riot Zamber?" Nanoha knew that time was running out. They had already placed the Lost Logia. She hated the thought of shifting the weight of getting rid of these pests to Fate, but she couldn't be picky.

"I'll manage. But Nanoha, I don't think I can hold it up for long." Fate was just as low on magic as Nanoha. "I have twelve cartridges left. I can maybe hold it up for one minute, but no longer. I'm sorry, Nanoha."

"That is enough. They don't expect anyone to attack them right now. I really hate cowardly acts like striking from behind, but we have little choice. After all the commotion the council and the captain made…we need to stop them. I'm sorry to force you to do this, Fate-chan." Nanoha let her head sink slightly and averted her eyes.

"Don't worry, Nanoha. I am fine if I think of this as protecting you." Fate took a deep breath. "Overdrive, True Sonic Form."

Nanoha stepped back a few feet and got her own preparations going. Even if Fate took care of the intruders, they still needed to shut down the gateway somehow. And if everything failed, force was the only way left.

Bardiche was taking new form. The two twin blades were connected by a yellow string of energy. It loaded six cartridges to each side to sustain the form itself, it was down to Fate's own agility and skill to make use of this opportunity. At least she could still use Sonic Move like this.

With just a nod, Fate stormed ahead. The gateway, the alarm, everything was generating too much noise for them to even see her coming. It was too late to notice her until one blade of Bardiche was stuck in the chest of the reciting villain. With a quick turn, Fate slashed another villain standing near.

She had no time to determine the status of their arms or if they even had any. Ducking out of the way of an anticipated attack, Fate pulled Bardiche out of her first victim and slashed away at the legs of another. She felt terrible for taking the lives of others, but if it served to preserve peace in the galaxy…

Not even twenty seconds after she had entered the last room, Fate had cut down all but one enemy. She was confused and surprised, as they had proven to be no challenge to her honed skills. Forcing the last enemy on its knees, Fate demanded information. "Tell me how to stop this!"

"You can't stop it. Nobody can. Our lord will soon arrive in this world and you will perish." It was a fanatic, a cultist. His hands were bloody and ripped open. He was the one who placed the Lost Logia. It seemed like a sacrifice of blood was necessary.

"Nanoha!" Fate shouted, not letting the hostage out of her line of sight. Releasing Riot Zamber mode seconds before she ran out of supplementary magic from the cartridges, Fate used Lightning Bind on the man, rendering him unable to move, sitting on the ground, a few feet away from the glowing gateway.

"I heard everything. If you won't tell us how to stop it, I'll stop it by force!" Nanoha shouted, and took position. The room was a large rectangle, longer than it was wide. Nanoha had already taken position at the rear end, as far away from the portal as possible. Firing a Starlight Breaker at this close proximity would probably get both of them caught in it as well, but that was a necessary evil.

It was tiring, using Starlight Breaker in her condition. Nanoha was breathing heavily, as if she had been fighting for hours. It took every bit of her willpower to maintain the exceed mode and to continue charging the immense resident magical energy. There was nearly an unlimited amount here, but she didn't need that much.

Fate had taken cover behind her. "Nanoha…the instant you fire, I'll take us out of here with my Sonic Move. We might crash in the hallway, but at least we won't be caught in the blast."

Explaining things to Nanoha wasn't as easy. Fate was tired out, and even though her magic was recovering, the strong AMF in here made it a tough experience to use magic. How Nanoha was able to use Starlight Breaker in this environment was beyond her.

"Thank you, Fate-chan. I knew I could trust you." Nanoha forced a smile and continued charging. It was almost time. And just then, she ran out of what she desperately needed—time.

The gateway exploded in white light and Nanoha had to avert her head, as she was unable to cover her eyes. When the light finally withdrew, they weren't alone anymore. Next to the hostage was standing a truly weird woman. Taller than anyone they had seen, with bright green hair and eyes pitch-black like nightmares.

Nanoha changed her tactic instantly. If that woman was one of the so-called Asari, and she must have been, then Nanoha would blast her right back where she'd come from. Getting permanently rid of her was probably a good thing too.

"My lord, Vysfila!" The man that had been sitting on the ground was crawling towards the odd woman. "How long I have waited for this glorious moment of victory! Now we shall feast upon the infidels and…what are…please…sto—" The man was being lifted by his hair, up to eye level of the woman.

"_Elas miru mertio risati lefarme nagaio? Riaxi unedo, lervus iri._"

The voice was like the whisper of a fiend believed dead, that had just risen against to seek vengeance against his murderer. Dull and emotionless, but at the same time a disgusting feeling of hate was floating in it. The voice of a monster.

With a single brutal swing of her arm, the man crashed into the wall. The impact denting the massive steeling wall and probably broke every bone in his body. Not even granting a single look at its servant, the thing stared at Nanoha.

It was like it could see right into her soul. Suddenly feeling ill, Nanoha relived past, long-forgotten horrifying memories. The fight against Fate-chan. The fight against Hayate. The incident when she almost died. And the events in the Saint's Cradle. Her hands shook and she was about to let go of the collected energy.

"_Nanoha!_" Fate was holding onto Raising Heart, stabilizing it. She couldn't feel any of the pain Nanoha was feeling right now, but she could imagine from her expression.

"I'm…okay…Fate-chan." As Nanoha slowly came back to reality, the woman still stood there, as if waiting for Nanoha to shoot. Nanoha had amassed much more energy than she needed to break the machinery. But was it enough to kill that woman?

Nanoha, for the first time in her life, truly believed that killing someone was the right thing to do. There was something unbelievably inhuman about that thing.

"_Eratio rias tyrati efrita._"

It was probably her unique language or some ancient tongue. Nanoha couldn't understand it.

It was enough. The energy was beginning to become unstable. "Fate-chan!" Nanoha shouted, and Fate got ready.

"_Starlight__Breaker__!_"

Blinding light. Sudden movement. The explosion virtually ripped apart the room and everything in it.

Nanoha and Fate crashed into a wall in the hallway outside the seven rooms and fell to the ground. Fate had cushioned most of the impact with shielding spells, but they still could feel the force of the explosion. If the sealing room hadn't been so deep inside the station, it would have ripped apart the entire complex.

"Nobody could've survived that…" Fate looked at the smoldering remains of the sealing rooms. Asari or not, immortal or not, this had to have killed her. A Starlight Breaker of that magnitude, at point…blank…range…

Fate's eyes widened in terror. She must have hit her head on impact. What she was seeing couldn't possible be right. "Na…noha…" Fate crawled back, leaning against the wall. Her eyes fixated on the destroyed rooms.

Nanoha felt utterly helpless. The magic she had collected from the Lost Logia had been tremendous. It was probably the AMF's doing inside there that they were still alive. They had diminished the blast radius. But still, it should've been incredibly powerful at point blank. Then…how! How was she still alive?

Walking through the burning rooms, the unnatural woman slowly came closer. Step by step, her silhouette was getting clearer. Nanoha watched in fear how the beast stopped just a few feet in front of them. Not only was she still alive, she was completely unharmed.

She was _unharmed_. She took a Starlight Breaker, powered by several Lost Logia, head-on at point blank range. How was she unharmed? How!

"_Miras. Tyr. Hera. Meratia elarti verxila arulia._"

Words. Words the two mages didn't understand. But they understood something else.

They had failed. Utterly failed. Despite taking the lives of so many, despite their best efforts, despite destroying the gateway. Everything had been in vain.

Three more women stepped out of the remains of the rooms, standing behind the first. They looked nothing alike, there was but one thing they shared.

The eyes. The eyes of inhuman monsters. The pitch black eyes of manifested nightmares that had come back. The eyes of the Asari.

=== End of Mission I ===


	2. White Devil

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission Two ===

**White Devil**

They were alive. Somehow. One moment they were retreating, the next, everything had gone black. What had happened? She couldn't see anything. It was pitch black in here, but since she was alive, there must be air.

Taking a deep breath, Teana started to cough. There was a lot of dust in the air. It was horribly quiet. No sounds of fighting. Nobody else. Pain from her left arm. She must be injured. She needed light. Trying her right arm—she could move it. Cautiously trying to get up, she noticed quickly that she was likely buried alive. There was barely room to crawl.

If there was air, then she wasn't completely buried. There must be a hole somewhere. But first she needed light. Touching the ground around her, she finally found something. Her device. From sheer touch, it seemed undamaged.

"Cross Mirage, set up." It worked. Her barrier jacket came on and the device changed from card into gun form. She couldn't use her left arm. "One-Hand Mode." The leftover gun vanished. Using her magic energy to create a small ball of light, Teana could finally see.

A massive steel girder had protected her against the falling material. Her luck hadn't run out yet. And not even twenty meters ahead was what looked like an opening out of this steel prison. She couldn't apply first aid on her arm in here. At least it didn't seem to be broken, but part of it was numb. The pain was bearable.

Crawling forward, she finally left her prison and looked around. Her first priority was to protect herself, apply first aid and then look for any survivors of whatever had happened. Sitting down, she looked at her arm. There were several deep cuts, but after trying, she could move it a bit. The bleeding had already stopped. How long had she been in there, passed out? There was nothing she could do to her arm now. She needed Shamal.

Looking around, Teana saw that the base was in a terrible state. The way to the hangar was completely blocked. The only way was further inside. And the enemy seemed to be gone. It was odd. Why would they leave without destroying what was left? Determining it safe, she called out for her partner.

"Subaru? Can you hear me?"

No response. Repeating her calls for a few times, she decided to rest for a minute and try to recollect what happened. Right…they had retreated from the hangar and split into groups. Signum and Vita went to where Shamal was to check on Hayate. Subaru and Zafira stayed behind with her, as her abilities were the most fitting for stopping the enemy forces in a narrow corridor. What had happened then…?

Teana couldn't remember. But now that she thought about it, if she had passed out long enough for the bleeding to stop on its own, why was her magic power so low? She had used up a lot, but not _everything_…

Something dripped on her head. Cross Mirage in aiming position, Teana jumped up and aimed at the ceiling above her. What she saw couldn't have been a bigger surprise. Multiple layers of thick black cables were holding Subaru on the ceiling. How had she gotten there…?

Teana couldn't shoot the cables. There was probably still electricity on them, and Subaru wasn't really that fond of strong electric shocks. Aiming at the ceiling above Subaru, Teana shot the attachments of the cables, which caused the cables to relax. It wasn't a real surprise, but it still happened too fast. Teana dropped her device and tried to grab the falling Subaru.

Her arm ached with pain and she went to her knees, but at least Subaru didn't hit the ground in a free fall. The girl was injured. There were several deep cuts all over her body, even two on her face. Some of them would probably leave scars if left untreated.

But she was alive. And it looked like they weren't in immediate danger. "You had me worried…" Teana sighed, and laid Subaru down.

She needed to wake Subaru up. The easiest way was something she had learned on one of her missions. Fate had taught her a trick that was highly effective at getting someone back to consciousness.

Still holding Subaru in her arms, Teana closed her eyes, concentrated and took a minute to get ready. Opening her eyes in a flash, Teana leaned towards the blue-haired fighter and kissed her partner deeply. Not even five seconds later, the cyborg was coughing and breathing heavily.

"I _hate_ it when you wake me with an electric kiss…" Subaru complained and touched her head. It always gave her a headache, but Teana seemed to like that fact.

"How about an 'I'm happy you're okay', you idiot." Teana turned around, giving Subaru the cold shoulder. "There I go, rescuing you, and you tell me you hate it when I kiss you."

"I'm sorry, Tea. But this isn't the time to act tsundere." Subaru got up and noticed that her device was missing. "Have you seen Mach Caliber?" Subaru looked around and only now seemed to notice the destruction around them.

Teana was still angry about the tsundere comment, but sadly, her partner was right. They had to look for the others. At least Zafira should be around somewhere. He was with them when…

"Subaru, do you remember what happened? I recall everything until we took position in the corridor." Checking around, especially the ceiling, Teana couldn't find any sign of actual battle. It was just like the station had collapsed.

"Not much. The whole hangar seemed to explode, and we got all thrown across the room. I passed out directly afterward." Subaru rubbed her head and tried to stand. She was injured, but still able to move around. Considering the situation, it was dangerous to let Teana walk around alone.

"I'm worried about Zafira." Subaru knew how tough he was, but considering the impact of that explosion…

No. She shouldn't think about that. If they survived, he had for sure.

There was only one way to follow. Further inside. The further they went, the less damage they noticed. Or so they believed. Inside was every bit as chaotic as outside. There were a lot of soldiers who had died in the battle, and even more that had died with the explosion. Corpses were everywhere. But even if they had the time to get them out, where would they bring them? They could hardly transport them in a ship with hyper drive.

Teana was disgusted. This was the result of their fight? She had known that the TEG was involved in some bad things, but this was mass murder. There was nobody left alive.

How far had they walked? They moved slowly as they checked for survivors. They had taken a turn left at the previous fork and now they were at a dead end. The way before them was entirely collapsed. They couldn't get past.

"Let's go back. I still need to find Mach Caliber." Subaru felt pretty defenseless without her device. If the enemies showed up now, she'd be no match for their numbers. She could use protection and barrier without her device, but it was straining.

They stopped at the fork. There were piles of rubble everywhere. The place was a mess. The systems were out so they couldn't even access the clock. How many hours had they been out of it?

Teana leaned against a wall near the fork. Was anyone still alive in here? What would she do if she and Subaru were the last survivors? She looked at her partner. Teana couldn't really count on her to think of something.

Subaru was looking for her device all over the place, but the chances of finding it were very slim. If it was buried under the rubble, then she would never find it. At least Tea was safe. Subaru always tried to protect her, but this time things had really been out of her control.

"Say, Tea…what do we do if we are the only ones left? How do we get out of here?" Subaru sat down on a relatively big pile of rubbish and looked intently at her partner. She didn't like that Tea had sent an electric current through her body to wake her up, but she could still remember the kiss. Licking her lips, Subaru was painfully aware of the fact that she had come very close to losing Tea in this mission.

But asking her to stop would lead nowhere. Tea was so stubborn; it would only make things worse. She just had to do her best to protect her in the future. For that, she would become even stronger. Much stronger.

Something moved below her. There was something in the rubble. Instinctively, Subaru jumped up and put some distance between herself and the pile.

"Tea, there's someone buried here. Help me out!" Subaru alarmed her partner and started lifting rocks from the pile. The gunner wasn't much help due to her injured arm, but she would have refused to stand there anyway. She was happy that Subaru knew her this well.

But her sense for danger was lacking—there was a powerful magic energy emitting from the pile and it only took seconds to have them realize what it was. When Teana pulled Subaru forcefully back, both of them lost their balance and fell to the ground. With a brutal explosion, the pile dispersed, and white fangs pierced pierced through the material. A pretty dirty and injured Zafira in wolf form was standing proudly amidst the rubble.

"Thank you." He looked around for a second and saw Teana and Subaru were the only ones present. "Where are the others? How is your status?" Zafira was quite the bold one, but Teana appreciated his direct nature.

"We are injured, but nothing major. There don't seem to be any enemies, but we have found no survivors beside ourselves." Teana reached for Subaru's hand when the vanguard fighter got up, silently asking for help.

"I can feel that Hayate is still alive. Let us search for her. Subaru, I think this belongs to you." From his fangs, Mach Caliber was hanging on a leather string. Subaru, overjoyed, retrieved the device and immediately activated it. "I do not know how I got it. It was there when I came to. Let's go."

Subaru checked thoroughly with Mach Caliber before reverting to normal footwork. The ground was too uneven to use her rollerblades. Running after the other two went ahead, Subaru quickly joined them. Zafira didn't seem to care much for his injuries, but that was to be expected. He didn't know where or how his master was.

The three of them marched onwards through the destroyed facility.

=== Limitless ===

Why were they still alive? Why hadn't those…things killed them? They had been no match for them, not in the condition they had been in. And yet they had simply left them there, alone, unharmed. The first one had said something in a gibberish language and the others had obediently followed her orders.

Nanoha had no idea how much time had passed. After the prisoners had simply left, she and Fate had fallen unconscious. Maybe it was the pressure, maybe the exhaustion. Whatever it was, Nanoha had only just come to.

Fate was still unconscious, but they were both unharmed. Nanoha sat next to her partner, who she had propped against the wall, and was trying to access the terminal of the facility. But there was not enough power. The terminal only flickered in the dim light of the emergency power.

Nanoha still couldn't believe something like…them could exist. It wasn't that they were just inhuman. Nanoha was painfully reminded of her fight against the corrupted book of darkness. This was a whole different scale. They were alive, thinking beings. But…different from everything she knew.

How long had it been since she had come to? Maybe ten minutes. Fate was finally moving, groaning, but coming to. "What…happened…?" Her mind seemed to be in mess.

Nanoha took her hand to signal to Fate that she was right next to her. They were both in normal uniforms. There were no enemies left here. Nanoha had been too reluctant to check the area before Fate woke up.

"They left. They just ignored us and left on their own." Nanoha didn't know how they had gotten out of the station, but right now, that wasn't important. The anti-telepathy modules were still working, and she couldn't get into contact to the others. Nanoha was trusting them, but if they had run into…_them_, then…

"Why? We attacked them. We did they not retaliate?" Fate was trying to analyze the enemy, to understand their motives. But it made no sense. Why just quietly leave? Why leave witnesses?

Nanoha just shook her head and got up. Most of her magic power had returned by now. It was slowly getting colder, too. The sealing room was completely melted and destroyed. Nanoha was still frightened that the woman had not even been scratched by her Starlight Breaker. A monster.

"Let's look for the others. I'll help you up." Nanoha extended her hand towards her lover and helped her stand up. They had no time to waste. Nanoha had only waited until Fate woke up because she didn't want her to wake up alone.

Fate was still dizzy but had recovered by the time they reached the end of the section. Both had reactivated their devices in case of remaining enemy forces, but there was nothing. No life signs at all, neither friend nor foe.

And Nanoha soon found the case for it. Covering her mouth and stepping back, she finally saw what had happened to the remaining soldiers. The ground was littered with bones and decayed remains. It didn't look like it was from a recent battle, but it would have taken weeks for them to decay this much.

"We can't have been unconscious for more than a couple hours at most. This…what caused this?" Fate covered her mouth as well and cautiously stepped over the remains. No clothes and no weapons remained. The remains were accompanied with piles of dust. Fate knew no magic beside the Lost Logia that could cause this.

"It seems the TSAB had good reasons when they ordered us to use lethal force…" Fate suddenly felt slightly guilty. She had done everything she could to prevent the unsealing, but…she had still stained her hands with blood. It was a disgusting feeling.

"What in the world…?" Fate stopped in front of the door leading to the hallway. If the previous room was disgusting with the remains, the hallway was far beyond her imagination. It was like a scene out of her nightmares.

"Fate, what…?" Nanoha stepped next to her, feeling fortunate to have left that room behind her. But what she saw was an act of brutality she could never have imagined.

The walls, the ceiling, and the entire floor were painted red. Painted red with the blood of soldiers. Countless…parts of human beings were littered all over the place. Arms cut off from their bodies, torsos sliced in half, and much worse. Horror ruled this place. This was not at all similar to the previous room. If the room behind them had been sheer murder, this was a massacre. A massacre beyond the boundaries of cruelty.

Fate felt like throwing up. The stench of blood was so strong that it was nearly impossible to breathe. The flickering light gave the hallway a eerie sensation. Nanoha took her hand and shook her head. "Don't look at it." Nanoha closed her eyes tried to stay calm in the face of this monstrous act.

They could not step into there. Fate was as pale as a ghost. Nanoha took the initiative and picked her up, carrying Fate in her arms, using her magic energy to hover over the ground. It was not just painted. The blood was _flooding_ the ground. It was still running from the walls. It hadn't dried yet.

It made no sense. How could this massacre be so fresh if the remains in the floor before looked like corpses that had decayed for weeks? Nanoha hoped that this was the last disgusting surprise waiting for them. She would have been angry at no matter what, but she was too disgusted by the immense brutality. No sane being could do this.

The small room after the bloodstained hallway was nothing like they expected. It seemed like…time stood still. The outer parts of the room seemed normal, but in the middle there were three men standing upright, frozen in action. One pointing at something, the other two were aiming with magic staffs at the door Nanoha and Fate had just passed.

It was just instinct, but they did not go near. Only those prisoners could have done that, and if this magic was remotely as powerful as the one that caused the situations in the last two rooms, it would be foolish to approach carelessly.

"What is…_that?_" Fate wasn't sure if she was thinking straight. "Is this magic to freeze time? What kind of being can do this? There are no records of anything like this…not even amongst the Belkan documents…"

"Didn't the captain say so? They are from a civilization that is much more ancient than Al Hazard…seems they weren't mistaken." Nanoha carefully moved along the wall and then stopped halfway. They needed to know the exact radius of this magic. It would be useful.

Picking up a stone from the crumbled walls, Nanoha threw it in the direction of the center of the room. It traveled a few feet through the air and then stopped, seeming to float. She picked up another stone and moved along the wall to the other side, repeating the same experiment.

"Hard to say…maybe a three-meter radius?" Nanoha couldn't get a closer estimate without proper tools. That the light was bad and the stench of blood and decay from behind didn't exactly help. Fate waited at the exit of the room.

Bizarrely, the next hallway seemed rather ordinary in comparison. There were just normal causalities.

Just how many people had died in this battle? There were a dozen masked soldiers for every TSAB staff member. And no one was left alive. Some were just shot by magic, but quite a few of the TEG forces were cut in half or simply frozen in time.

"Weren't the TEG soldiers supposed to be the allied forces of those prisoners?" Nanoha stepped past yet another corpse. It was like walking over a battlefield after sleeping through a war.

"Supposed to be, yes…I don't know what happened, but they clearly just killed any and everything in their way. Which makes me wonder why they ignored _us_." Fate followed closely after her partner, trying not to look at the fallen soldiers. If those beings were powerful enough to withstand a point-blank Starlight Breaker without defense, then this had been no fight. It had been a bloody massacre.

While walking through a dark hallway, the lights went completely out, giving Nanoha an eerie feeling. Despite knowing that there was no one else here, she readied her device and slowed down, on guard.

And her instinct was right. After passing half of the distance to the next room, they could hear a weird sound. It sounded like someone…_gnawing_ on something, but it was an ear-piercing sound that was followed by the brutal ripping of flesh. Someone was ripping apart the corpses in there. And…Nanoha didn't want to think about it.

Still a few meters off, Nanoha pressed herself to the wall. She couldn't carelessly fire any strong spell in here. It could breach the walls and expose them to space, which would be their definite end.

There was a crude sound, like someone sighing very deeply. The sound of metal being dragged over metal. And then…a shape. The shape of a human.

Nanoha recognized that shape. It was one of the prisoners. Should she try to escape? It was impossible to fight in here. But she couldn't go far; the way back was a dead end. And fighting near the sealing chamber was suicide. The hull was already unstable there.

"Curse you…sister. These weaklings…taste so disgusting." The shape moved in the hallway and seemed to notice the two TSAB members only now. It was standing right under an emergency lamp that blinked every few seconds.

Nanoha, for the first time, could take a good look at her enemy. She had bloody red hair that was wild and dirty and a height of at least two meters, if not more. Muscular arms and legs, those of a warrior. In her left hand was something that looked like a steel pillar. It must've been over three meters long. In her right hand…a human arm, severed from its torso.

Opening her mouth, Nanoha took instinctively a step back. She had no normal teeth—instead she had those of a beast. Sharp teeth like those of a shark filled her mouth. With a disgusting sound, the thing, the woman, bit into the human arm, ripped out a big chunk of flesh, and chewed on it.

"I've…gotten sick of…waiting." The voice was deep and completely inhuman. It sounded like someone talking through a steel pipe while smoking. The former prisoner threw away the human arm, and two ferocious eyes fixated on Nanoha and Fate.

Fate was having problems breathing. She had done many despicable things while hunting for the jewel seeds herself and had seen much in her hunt for Scaglietti and Meteora. But this was beyond any worst-case scenario. This was like something straight out of a nightmare, the kind that didn't let you wake up and swallowed you whole. She stopped right where she was, behind Nanoha.

That woman wasn't a human. It was a beast, a beast that was looking at prey it wanted to hunt. Nanoha knew that she had virtually no option but to blast her away if she attacked. If Nanoha let that thing come close to her, she would just tear her and Fate apart.

The monster raised its voice, alarming Nanoha, who directed her device at the thing. "Third of Seven, the Lady of Massacre, Holder of the 'Magic of Infinite Sacrifice', I am Tyreithar Morti Alycancis." The woman took one step after another forward.

Nanoha felt paralyzed. She had never felt this much fear from an opponent. Never felt this helpless. Fate was next to her and she couldn't do anything. The blond woman took her hand, gritting her teeth. If it came down to close combat, she would defend Nanoha.

"Sister has forbidden me from slaying you two…she said that you are…" The woman looked at the ceiling and seemed to think for a second. "Yes…interesting. But I am to relay her message." The woman looked in disgust at the human arm she had thrown away. Nanoha noticed only now that there was a stream of blood surrounding the thing's feet.

"How…" Nanoha had a terrible idea. If that was right…

"Knowledge. Magic. Power. It is all in the flesh." Opening her mouth wide, like a snake, the woman licked over her shark-like teeth, which cut her tongue with every move. Blood streaming from the wounds. "I learned…your language. What a filthy…language it is…" The woman spat on the human arm below her.

Nanoha was so overcome with disgust that she wasn't able to talk. Just what…what _was_ this woman?!

"Listen well, humans…all of you shall pay…for what you did. Refuting our rightful claim over this plane…you shall perish soon. Vysfila Rias Alycancis, my sister. The ruler and empress of the Asari. Remember her name!" The woman grinned. "You two…are lucky. To meet me…and live."

She turned her back to Nanoha and Fate, and the two women finally saw a long object behind her. A sword. A massive steel sword, so long and heavy that the woman dragged it behind her over the ground.

Nanoha bit her lip. She couldn't possibly let this monster get away. But what could she do? It was a monster from hundreds of years ago, something that ate humans to gain their power, their knowledge, their magic. Something that was able to slaughter everything in its way. One of those things had withstood a Starlight Breaker at point-blank range. How…how could Nanoha win against her?!

Nanoha's hands were shaking, and Fate pushed her hands down. "Don't. I…I am as angry as you are…but…but…don't." Fate closed her eyes before the monster in front of her. She couldn't look at it and not lose control.

"If we meet again…" Tyr grinned and pulled an iron needle, easily the size of a human head, from her girdle. _"Eras Illuria!"_

Nanoha watched, petrified, as the woman impaled her own left hand, leaving a hole in it big enough to look through. But that wasn't the bad part. The blood flowing from the hole didn't just fall to the ground. It remained in mid-air. And then, the woman started to paint with it.

It only took seconds in real time, but Nanoha watched in shock how the woman wrote the words _"Merf Ruia"_ on the wall. "_Eras!_" Tyr shouted and the hallway was illuminated by a flash of light. Nanoha didn't cover her eyes quickly enough and was blinded. When she could see again, Tyr was gone. The wall she touched was scorched and partially molten. The words were gone as well.

But something was still lingering in the air.

"You shall perish…" Fate repeated the words. "I am so sick of villains out to destroy the world. And this one doesn't even seem to need anything to do so…" Fate looked at the ground. Nanoha was still standing in front of her, still shocked.

"Don't worry, Fate-chan. We will stop them. We've always won, haven't we? Against the Book of Darkness. Against Scaglietti. Against Meteora." Nanoha turned around, showing a forced smile. "I'll stop them."

=== Limitless ===

"We're completely cut off from the rest of the facility. Judging from the look of the upper floors, there's some tremendous damage." Shamal ceased using Klarer Wind and sat down. The medical office was deep inside the facility and heavily protected. Signum and Vita were heavily injured, the latter actually unconscious. Shamal had tried her best to heal them, but she was low on magical power.

Even with Reinforce II in unison, she could only do so much. At least they weren't in danger anymore. Shamal's outfit was a pure white, Rein's signature color. Her hair had turned white too. It was easy to mistake her for a albino now. Leaving unison mode, she returned to normal. Rein was tired too, from her earlier exercise with Hayate and now from supporting Shamal.

"Thanks to the telepathy blocker they have in here, we can't contact the others. We don't even know if they're—" Signum was stopped by Hayate.

"Don't say it. They're definitely alive. They're strong, they won't die that easily." Even though none of her knights was in urgent need of medical help, Hayate preferred to have Shamal and Rein use their energy on healing. She was just exhausted and had taken minor damage before she was retrieved from the weapons platform.

"Hayate. I want to believe too, but it has been a while since the explosion. We don't even know if there is still something out there. From the impact, a good deal of the station must be gone." Signum had a broken arm, and with her bad luck, it was her prominent arm. She was sitting on the ground, leaning against a big closet with medicine in it.

The real injury wasn't to her body. It was to her mind. Her pride was hurt. With all their combined efforts, they had been unable to stop the enemies. And now they were in this miserable situation. Even though Hayate refused to give up hope, Signum was ready to face reality—they were the only survivors.

Vita was still out cold and it would probably be some time before she woke up. Shamal was a bit worried about her, but she had done everything she could. The green-clothed knight sat down next to the leader of her group. "Signum, how is your arm feeling?" She knew that the knight was tough, but to refuse painkillers because they dulled her senses…

"Unchanged from before. Shamal, you should rest. If Hayate is right and they are alive, they might be injured. We're going to need you then." Signum was always looking ahead. It was in times like these that Shamal appreciated that Signum was the leader of their little group.

"I can feel that Zafira is okay, but it's hard to tell where he is or if he is moving at all." Hayate could tell where her knights were, if the conditions were right. But right now, there was too much interference from the remains of the bombardment.

"I didn't know weapons like those existed. We were lucky that you and Shamal were down here and that the bombs' radiation didn't reach this place. If Shamal had been out of energy…" Signum hated cowardly acts like suicide ramming—using advanced technology to bombard the station. Using numbers to overwhelm them, no matter how great the sacrifices.

"They were Temporary Anti-Magic Grenades, TAMG's. They are classified as Level 4 weapons by the TSA. One alone doesn't do much, but from what you told me…there must've been many. I don't know how our attackers got a hold of so many. They are only produced by the TSAB and only in limited quantities." Hayate was still feeling dizzy. It was just too much for her to use that spell. Even now.

Rein II was resting on the the table, next to Vita. Why was Hayate so reckless? Sure, in that situation, that spell might have been the only choice, but it was really dangerous. It was a corrupted spell, one of the few in the Tome of Night Sky whose origin could not be tracked. They had only used that spell once before, and Hayate had almost died back then.

Rein was worried about Agito. The hot-headed unison device had gotten separated from Signum in the explosion. Rein hoped she was okay. While Agito was still treating her like a rival, their relationship had gotten better over the past years.

Staring at the ceiling, she wondered if they would get out of this place alive. They seemed to be buried alive. Before she had joined in unison with Shamal, Hayate had her check the room for any potential ways out. In times like these, her small form came in handy.

But there _was_ no way out. They were deep inside the station, and every exit was destroyed or blocked. Maybe they could have believed themselves lucky. If the station was as badly damaged as they thought, a large part of it would have to be exposed to space.

And despite all of this, Hayate still believed. But how long would it last? Rein was not so naive to think they could wait here to be rescued. At some point, air would run out, and so would water. They were already without food. And given the nature of the mission, no help would come.

"Is it me, or is it getting colder in here?" Hayate pulled her mantle closer. She wasn't imagining things. She could slowly see her breath becoming visible in the air. It was rapidly getting colder.

"It's not surprising. The power must be dying. It'll be freezing in here in a short while." Signum's hard take on reality was not always a good thing. She always focused on the facts at hand and prepared herself for the worst-case scenario.

"Help me look for a map of this place. If there is no way out, we'll just make one. It's better than freezing to death in here." Hayate was running out of patience. If all that stopped them from getting out of here was some debris, then she would blast her way through, despite the risk that the station might collapse entirely.

Shamal and Rein got up. Signum was not allowed to help. Shamal gave her a harsh glare whenever she got up. Signum disliked this treatment, but could at least understand her reasons.

Rein was the first to find something—a blueprint map in the bottom drawer of a desk to the back. Hayate wasn't making a lot of sense out of it, but once Signum joined in (ignoring Shamal's glare), it helped.

"The best way to get out of here would probably be to blast a hole through the ceiling. But if you use too much strength, we'll end up shooting a hole all the way through the station." Shamal was quite worried about this problem. Hayate was quite the klutz when it came to limiting her power. Especially now, with her limiter taken off.

"Rein, do you think you can handle this?" Signum wasn't too fond of this idea, but it was indeed better than sitting around doing nothing. If there were any survivors, they had to meet up with them and contact headquarters.

"I'll try my best." Rein quickly nodded and went in unison with her master. Hayate's clothes' colors changed and she summoned her device Schwertkreuz. Using the Tome of Night Sky would be complete overkill to break the foundation between two levels of a space station. Well, at least she thought so. Hayate had never actually done something like this before.

Taking a deep breath, Hayate got ready and directed Schwertkreuz at the ceiling above them. It was a sink or swim situation. Shamal was carrying Vita and was holding hands with Signum, in case she had to deploy an emergency shield if the upper level was exposed to space.

"I hope this works…" Hayate started to melt down the ceiling with raw magical energy.

=== Limitless ===

"Another dead end. We're closed in." Teana checked the wall carefully. It had been completely demolished by an explosion of some sort. They had checked every inch of the area they were in, and every way out was closed off.

Subaru stood in the middle of the room, carefully looking around. This was hardly the time to goof around, so she kept herself together now. It seemed like they had no way out of this other than eventually blasting their way through…but that was very dangerous. Neither of them would be able to deploy a full-body barrier to stay alive for a few minutes if exposed to space.

"Watch out!" Zafira shouted and rammed into Subaru will full force, both of them crashing into a nearby trash pile. He was not a second too slow. A brutal energy beam had pierced the ground. If Subaru had been caught in it, it would've been bad. It scorched the ceiling, but at least didn't destroy it.

"The enemy?!" Teana directed Cross Mirage, one-hand mode, at the hole, ready to fire at anything hostile that came out of it. She was at a tremendous advantage in here. It better not be an enemy…for its own sake.

But the first thing Teana saw was a six-winged knight in her armor, carrying her staff device and directing it immediately at Teana, who she saw only from the corner of her eye. Both parties stared at each other for a moment before they recognized each other and let their weapons sink.

"Hayate! Thank God you're alive. Are you alone?" Teana looked over at Zafira and Subaru, who had gotten up and now recognized Hayate in the darkness. "You almost blasted Subaru into dust."

"I'm sorry! Are you three okay?" Hayate had quickly noticed her guardian knight Zafira and Subaru. As she hovered over the hole, voices came from below. Teana recognized the first voice as Shamal's and the second one as Signum's. They were alive!

"You can come up. Zafira, Teana, and Subaru are up here as well. Shamal, can you carry Vita-chan?" Hayate finally landed on the ground next to the hole. Teana could see now that she was in unison mode with Rein.

"Rein, let's stay in unison for now. I'm sorry to put this on you," Hayate said, and turned around to greet Zafira, who seemed happy to have found his mistress.

"Hayate!" Rein yelled and with a sudden turn, Hayate swirled around and put up a barrier with all her might. Seconds later, an enormous beam broke through the wall west of them, completely destroying it. Hayate was pushed back by the beam, slowly but surely.

Zafira took immediate action and jumped in the way of the beam, protecting both his mistress and everyone in the room. With a loud howl, a bright white and enormous barrier appeared in front of the slightly injured Zafira. He was not called the Shield Guardian for nothing. Blocking a attack of this magnitude was nothing to him.

Just a few seconds later, the beam finally stopped and the molten remains of the wall began to give off an eerie glow. Everyone in the room—Hayate, Teana, Subaru and Zafira—were ready to take on any enemy that might be left.

"Show yourself!" Hayate shouted. She was still the commanding officer here and had to take control. With Zafira to protect her in front and Teana and Subaru as backup, they had the definitive advantage.

"Hayate-chan?" A voice called back. Hayate knew that voice just too well. Returning Schwertkreuz to a resting position, Hayate tried to see through the hole.

Before she was ready, the woman from the other side came running through the hole and jumped Hayate, hugging her.

"Thank God you're okay!" Nanoha knew that Hayate would survive. Her eyes had already gotten used to the dim light so when she glanced around, she also spotted Teana, Subaru and Zafira, who were coming closer now. "Everyone…"

In the same moment, Signum and Shamal ascended through the hole, the knight of the lake carrying the unconscious knight, Vita. It was one big happy reunion. Fate now came after Nanoha and seemed really happy that apparently everyone had survived. On her shoulder was Agito, whom they had found hiding from Tyr in one of the rooms after the beast had appeared.

The small unison device quickly approached Signum and continued to float next to her. "Signum, I'm so sorry for leaving you." Averting her eyes, the small girl was greeted by the satisfied smile of her master.

"Don't worry. It's me who should be sorry. I'm not going to be of much use to you with this arm." Signum was a little bit ashamed that she was unable to fight.

The happy reunion of everyone was quickly canceled. A loud, ear-piercing alarm started to sound and red lights went on everywhere. This alarm was different from the intruder alarm before.

"_Station X-293 self-destruct has been armed. I repeat. Station X-293 self destruct has been armed. __Time to detonation: two minutes, eighteen seconds._"

Then the voice died. Everyone was called back to reality. Whatever caused the self-destruct to go off, they had to get out of there. But where to? There was absolutely nothing out there.

"Nanoha." Fate stepped in front and the white-clothed mage quickly nodded. There was only one option, even if it was risky. It was better to try and eventually die than give up and die anyway.

"Fate-chan and I saw a cruiser that looked intact drifting outside the hangar. The hangar is to the east. If we blast our way through, we can make it there before the station explodes. Zafira, I'm counting on you to protect the ship from the explosion if it comes down to it." Nanoha looked at the guardian beast.

"Understood." He just nodded. He knew that it was probably beyond his limit to protect a space cruiser from the explosion of the self destruct.

"Teana, you go with Fate. Subaru, you're with me. Hayate, can you handle your knights?" Nanoha knew that the only method to reach the cruiser safely was to fly straight through space. Hayate, Fate, and she were able to deploy a full-body round barrier that was air-proof if they really wanted it to be.

Fate obeyed the command without question and quickly grabbed Teana. "Hold tight onto me. _Bardiche. True Sonic mode. Riot Zamber._" Fate understood that she was the only one capable of dealing with fragments from blasts at close range.

Teana didn't like it much, but it sure beat dying. Holding tight onto Fate, she regretted the fact that she still wasn't able to fly on her own. She looked over and saw Subaru, who didn't seem quite as displeased to be able to cling onto Nanoha.

"I can't, Nanoha. Signum is injured, Vita is unconscious, and Shamal used up much of her power…even with Rein…" Hayate bit her lip. She knew it was utterly impossible to keep a round barrier of that size up for more than a few seconds, even with Rein's support.

"Hayate, I have an idea." Signum stepped close to her mistress and whispered something that made Hayate's eyes go wide. "We have no other choice but to try."

"Nanoha, I might be able to handle a round barrier for up to one minute. But that's not enough to reach the cruiser at conventional means. I'm going to wait here and rely on Zafira's power to protect us from the vacuum. I'm going to shoot straight through the path you two make." Time was running out. Zafira positioned himself in the middle, between Hayate and the other three knights.

"I trust you, Hayate." Nanoha, with Subaru still holding on to her, readied Raising Heart to make a path. Refraining from using any cartridges, she only spent five seconds charging the spell. But it would be more than enough to blast through the frail remains of this station.

"_Divine…Buster!_" Nanoha shouted, and the beam erupting from her device pierced the walls like a bullet through paper. It was a full hit. They immediately deployed their shields against the vacuum before the air was sucked out. Now it was Fate's turn to widen the path so that Hayate could pass through.

"Go!" Nanoha pushed herself off the ground and flew through the path she had made with enormous speed. She was still easily outdone by Fate, who was using her sonic move to get ahead of Nanoha and clear the path of any floating fragments.

Zafira was at his limit. He was the type to protect against attacks, not to keep up barriers. But still, he had to endure. The lives of his fellow knights and his mistress were depending on it. Creating a solid platform of energy below them, they hovered slightly over the ground. The platform was a small act for him. It was the round barrier drained a lot of his energy.

"Forty-three seconds until self destruction. Forty-two. Forty-one." Hayate was thankful that this part of the system still worked. If it hadn't, they would have died without knowing what happened.

"You're doing great, Zafira." Hayate turned around. This was probably very dangerous, and she had never done it before, but it was a necessity now. She simply lacked the power otherwise. Rein was not very happy with the idea either, but she had to deal with it.

Fate could feel the strain of keeping the shield up in True Sonic mode. But there were more fragments than they had imagined. After seconds, they reached the hangar, and the situation was out of control. The whole place was full of fragments and bodies.

"Nanoha!" Fate shouted, and received a quick nod as sign that her partner understood. It was the only way, but it still hurt to do it.

Fate had already left the hangar and was now flying through empty space, directly towards the almost motionless cruiser. It wasn't a TSAB vessel, but that didn't matter.

Fate could see that there was an energy shield protecting the hangar against the vacuum. Stopping right in front of it, she touched the shield with her own to test it. It didn't react to solid matter; Fate passed right through it. Teana, who had closed her eyes because of the extreme speed and movements, looked around when Fate stood still. It was easy to tell that there was gravity and air. Had the crew abandoned their ship?

Fate turned around. The hangar walls exploded violently in pink energy, shooting fragments and bodies all over the place. Most of them disintegrated in the force of the explosion. Nanoha quickly reached the ship and stopped outside the energy shield. Fate signaled that it was okay and Nanoha passed through, disengaging her shield and sinking to her knees. It was way too straining to keep it up for extended periods of time.

"Thank…thank you for saving us." Teana and Subaru said in one breath and looked at the station. There were already explosions all over the place. It must be only seconds until the self-destruct fully activated.

"_Nanoha! Fate! Can you hear me?_" Hayate was trying to get telepathy contact with the others. The modules to block said ability were losing their effect.

"_We hear you._" It must be something important.

"_Put up a shield! I won't be able to stop on my own!_" Hayate literally yelled in their thoughts and ended the connection. Nanoha only saw a massive explosion in the deeper parts of the station and a shimmering light that came closer at a way too-high speed.

"Teana, Subaru, shield spells now!" Nanoha commanded and took position, pouring every last ounce of her magic energy into a protective shield. The other three followed. The impact was nearly mind-breaking. All four were pushed back over twenty meters inside the hangar. In front of them was a shimmering ball of white energy that quickly dissolved once it had stopped moving.

Inside was were Hayate and her knights. But something was off. Hayate's clothes were different. One side was her normal unison color with Rein, the other side the polar opposite. Half light brown hair, half black. With a flash, her armor went back to normal and Hayate knelt over. She started to cough up blood.

Hayate had tried to unison with both Agito and Rein at once. Both small girls left Hayate and felt guilty at the sight of Hayate kneeling on the ground, but they had survived. Rein gave Agito a harsh glare, which she immediately returned before going to talk to Hayate.

"Zafira, can you…Zafira?" Nanoha tried to talk to the guardian beast. He was still standing where the ball had left. He had refused to give in and kept up the round barrier enforcement even when Hayate told him to cease it. He had used up so much power in a short time that he had fallen unconscious standing.

"Everyone, shields!" Nanoha shouted. The station's self-destruct was going off.

=== Limitless ===

"Everyone okay?" Nanoha had taken cover on the ground. The station's explosion had been less severe than they had thought, and the ship's shields had held against it. They were in luck. From the looks of it, the ship seemed fully operational except that it lacked a crew. What had happened to them? Why had they abandoned a working cruiser?

"Yes." Fate was right next to her. The others replied as well, except Hayate and Zafira. The dust quickly vanished; the ship's internal systems were working fine. Nanoha hurried over to where Hayate was on the ground. Next to her were Rein and Agito, arguing and pointing at each other.

"I said _I'd_ handle magic energy consumption, and you'd use your boost power as support!" Rein was scolding Agito, who didn't seem to think the fault lay with her.

"You were tired, I could feel it. If I hadn't helped out, we would have lost the shield in the middle of moving!" Agito argued back.

The argument was quickly stopped by Shamal and Signum. Zafira was still standing and still unconscious. Everyone admired his willpower. Subaru carried Zafira away on her back.

"Nanoha, can you carry Hayate? We need to look for the medical office," Shamal called out to Nanoha while Signum was rather busy scolding the two unison devices. Teana began to work on the mechanism that would close the hangar gates so the shield generator would disengage. They had to save energy. It didn't take her long to close the gates.

Hayate had stopped coughing but was barely conscious and unable to move. Her whole body hurt. Double unison was probably never intended by the Belkans. Rein and Agito had tried to overpower each other, and Hayate's body was showing the consequences of that internal strife.

Nanoha picked up her friend and carried her on her back, and Fate silently walked next to them. Shamal was worried about her mistress. She had never even thought about trying something like that, and Signum did likely only come up with it because of the situation.

"Sorry, Nanoha…in the end, it didn't work out…" Hayate whispered into the ear of the woman carrying her. She then passed out.

"You're all alive. That's the most important thing." Nanoha smiled, even though Hayate couldn't see it.

The ship wasn't very big. It only took Rein and Agito a few minutes to hack into the ship's terminal system. The ship had four major levels—the bridge and the officers' rooms, the lounge and other facilities, normal quarters, and the engine and storage level. The medical office was located on the same level the lounge was.

The ship was completely deserted. There was no sign of any battle or of any corpses. It was like the entire crew had just disappeared. While small, the medical office had enough space for four injured people and contained most necessities.

After laying Hayate down, Nanoha assumed control of the ship, officially, until Hayate was back up. "Rein, Agito, try to hack into the ship's systems and see if you can get communications and propulsion back on. Teana and Subaru, you two look around the ship. See if there are any survivors and look out for anything unusual. Fate, you stay here in case there are enemy forces still on board."

"Teana, wait." Shamal grabbed the girl by her wrist and held her back. Shamal used a spell to enhance the healing of her arm injury and wrapped it with some bandages. It was only a short emergency treatment, but it would be enough if there was no fighting ahead. With a quick nod from the gunner, Shamal directed her attention back to Hayate.

Signum sat down on a bed, knowing that Shamal would probably flip if she were to try and look around now. The pain in her arm was getting worse from all the moving around, too. Zafira was in the bed next to her. Hayate and Vita were in the beds on the other side of the room.

"Treat Hayate first, please, Shamal. Zafira is tough, and we don't know what this double unison did to Hayate's body," Nanoha said, and left for the bridge. Everyone kept their devices ready and their barrier jackets up. Even if the ship seemed deserted, they couldn't tell until internal sensors were back on.

Nanoha was the acting commander right now, so despite the fact that Shamal always gave priority to her mistress, it was Nanoha's duty to give orders to them.

At least they didn't have to bother with official approval from anyone. But this mission was still a disaster. The station was just space trash now. They were the only survivors, and half of their unit was injured.

On the bridge, Nanoha found another problem. Rein and Agito had brought internal communication back online, so at least Nanoha could talk to the others without using telepathy now. But that was the only thing they managed to get back online.

"There is a problem with the ship's computer mainframe. It refuses to start." Rein began. Agito was still trying to hack into the computer from a miniature terminal. Despite their limited expertise with this sort of activity, they were still devices, so basic hacking functions were easy for them.

"What kind of problem? Did the previous crew disable the mainframe or something?" Nanoha was not in the mood for any more bad news.

"It's an ALIAS—an Artificial Life Intelligence Avatar System. In short, this ship needs an avatar to work," Agito blurted out while shutting down the terminal. "Nothing will work except life support and internal communications without it."

Nanoha was not too knowledgeable about the latest tech. Opening a terminal in mid-air, Nanoha opened a channel to the medical office. "Fate-chan, are you familiar with a system called ALIAS?"

The blond woman seemed to be surprised that such a term had come up and fell deep in thought for a moment. "Not very much. The TSAB deemed it a dangerous technology and prohibited further research on it after an incident where a dreadnought was taken over. If I remember correctly, the technology is based on unison devices. Basically, the avatar is in permanent unison with the ship." Fate had researched this material after the Malice incident.

"Unison technology? Could Rein and Agito use this ALIAS system?" Nanoha was just looking for a temporary solution.

"I doubt it. I heard the ship creates the avatar based on blueprints. Rein and Agito are living beings. We would need the data they were created from to…I have an idea. Rein?" Fate directed her word at the blue-haired unison device.

"I think Hayate still has the data she used to make me. But…" Rein looked at Agito. They didn't have her data, so if this idea failed, they were stranded again. "We need to wait for Hayate-chan to wake up. The data is in the Tome of Night Sky." Rein had the feeling that this idea wasn't a very good one.

"That'll take some time. There is some damage to her linker core from the double unison. I can't say much, but from the looks of it, most of it comes from the low compatibility between you and Agito." Shamal had a formal tone. She wasn't faulting either of them, but telling them that it was their fighting that brought this about.

Agito and Rein looked at each other and then in the respective other direction. Neither seemed to really accept that it was their combined fault. Rein's pride as Hayate's partner didn't allow her to accept that, and Agito was much too stubborn to give in.

"Thank you, Fate-chan, Shamal. I'll come back after I've talked to Teana and Subaru." Nanoha closed one terminal and opened another. "Subaru, Teana, can you hear me?"

In a matter of seconds, Teana responded and opened a channel. Both of them were in the lounge, which doubled as cafeteria. Subaru was seen in the background, checking in several drawers and a back room.

"This is Teana. We found the quarters in good condition, as well as the cafeteria. There is enough food and water to last us a few days, or maybe a week. There is virtually no damage to the entire ship. We found no signs of any life in the ship beside us." Teana saluted, which made Nanoha smile. This was hardly the time to bother with chain of command or formalities.

"Very good. There should be enough officers' quarters for us all. You two go ahead and choose a room. Drop by the medical office later."

Nanoha closed the terminal and looked at the two unison devices. "You two try to find out more about the ship and what happened to it. See if you can access video or logbook information. I'd like some data on the ship in general." Nanoha took a deep breath. She was much too used to ordering people around nowadays. It had become a bad habit from her job as a combat instructor. "Don't take the incident with Hayate too hard. I'm sure she is not mad at you. But you could really try to get along better."

Nanoha left the two mini-girls and had just made her way back to the medical office when suddenly gravity went off. A terminal opened in front of her. "This is Teana. I'm in the engine room. I don't know what caused it, but the main engine isn't moving. There are several smaller emergency generators, but they will only hold so long. I deactivated artificial gravity everywhere but the bridge, the medical office and officers' quarters."

Nanoha thought that the girl had grown a lot since her days in Riot 6. Fate must have trained her well. "Understood. You're doing good work, Teana."

Nanoha's praise caused the girl to avert her eyes and blush slightly. "T-thank you."

Nanoha then witnessed Teana being surprise-hugged by her partner from behind, who started teasing her about what Nanoha had just said. Nanoha closed the terminal with a smile.

"Welcome back, Nanoha." Fate stood up from a chair and greeted her partner. "How are things?"

Nanoha took a deep breath and explained everything to the people in the medical ward. Zafira had already woken up. Everyone again admired his toughness until he offered to look around as well. Shamal gave him a really deadly look and Zafira quickly dismissed his own suggestion.

"All in all, we need to wait for Hayate to wake up."

Back on the bridge, Rein and Agito were back to arguing. It was a never-ending argument with the two. Agito just didn't like Rein and the same thing was true vice versa.

Both were sulking in separate respective corners of the bridge, floating in mid-air. In the end, Rein didn't want Hayate to go through this again, so she took the first step. If it was only pride that stood in her way…

"I know Signum is your preferred mistress, but Hayate is Signum's mistress. I think it would make Signum happy too if you we were able to do this properly." Rein slowly floated over to Agito.

The redhead was thinking about snarling back something like Rein didn't know Signum, but that would be really stupid. Rein had been with her much longer than she had. And what Pointy Hair had said was probably true. Signum lived for her mistress.

"Well…maybe…I could have trusted you a little more." It was rare for her to admit an error. Agito had a caring side too, but she rarely showed it to anyone but Signum.

Rein was showing a huge smile. "I like you much better this way."

=== Limitless ===

In the end, Hayate didn't wake up until a few hours after they had taken over the ship. Rein and Agito had done as much as they could and they at least knew a few things about the ship now. It was a Class G-4 cruiser with ALIAS technology responsible for almost all of the ship's functions. The records only showed that at some point before the station exploded, all life signs were simultaneously extinguished and the previous ALIAS of the ship was annihilated as well.

The ship itself had no designed name. Rein and Agito, after another argument, had come up with a name—the_ White Devil_. Nobody objected to the name. The ship's internal clock showed past midnight, but it was hardly reliable without the ALIAS. Teana had short-circuited a few systems to get them to work temporarily, but they were still not working perfectly.

Fate and Nanoha were occupying an officers' quarter across the hall from Teana and Subaru. The two younger women knew it was useless to hide that they were going out, so they didn't bother choosing two separate rooms. Hayate had a room for herself as commanding officer. The rooms next to hers were occupied by Shamal and Signum to the right, and Zafira and Vita to the left.

That was the theory, at least. Shamal still wanted to keep Hayate in the medical office for a few more checks. Signum, with her broken arm, was a guaranteed guest in the medical ward anyway. Vita, who had been told what had happened, had thrown quite the tantrum, claiming that she would have been very useful, and was now staying at Hayate's side.

Zafira was resting in his room, having exhausted his magic and being ordered by Shamal to do so. The medical office was too full as it was.

Signum had a long talk with Agito. If there was a way to safely enter double unison, she should work together with Rein on it. Signum also warned her that needless rivalry between Wolkenritter was not appreciated. Agito sulked for a bit, but finally accepted it. She was quite angry (and so was Rein) that both of them had been designated to stay in Hayate's room.

Agito wanted to stay with Signum, but the Knight of the Sword was quite iron-willed when it came to such decisions.

There was nothing to do beside wait. Teana and Subaru continued to look around the ship but didn't find anything of interest or value. Almost all systems were dead without the ALIAS. Fate and Nanoha took a little rest in their room. The encounter with the being called Tyr had left its mark.

When Hayate finally woke up, Shamal threw everyone but Signum out. They would just pester her with too many questions when she needed rest. But despite the odds, Hayate was actually feeling a lot better.

Magical damage recovered faster the more magical power one had, and Hayate was the strongest one in said aspect. Telling Shamal to call in Rein and Agito, the two devices felt like they were going to get yelled at.

"I'm sorry, you two. It seems like my body couldn't handle both of you at once."

It was so unexpected that both girls felt so guilty that they were unable to face Hayate. Agito finally accepted that Hayate was a good and gentle mistress, like Signum had told her she was.

"It's mostly my fault. I wanted to show off against Rein," Agito apologized. She was floating a bit further back compared to Rein.

"I think Rein might have to say something regarding that, no?" Hayate smiled at her partner. She knew. Knew what had gone on inside her while she was in double unison, despite the pain it caused.

"Maybe…I was a bit too optimistic about my own abilities." Rein didn't like admitting that in front of Agito, but she didn't want to lie in Hayate's presence.

"Get along, you two. Agito, you're Signum's partner, and Signum is like family to me. That means you're also part of my family." Hayate really was kind. Agito had a few tears in her eyes when she nodded and turned around, hiding her face.

Signum, who was in the bed across the room, was satisfied. She smiled and knew she could finally take a good rest now.

After that, Hayate forced her way out of bed, much to Shamal's dislike, but there were things to do. First she assumed command of the vessel that they had dubbed _White Devil_. It was only a formality, but despite their new chain of command, they had to follow such things.

After being told by Rein, Fate, and Teana about the technical difficulties, Hayate was still reluctant. The data in the Tome of Night Sky was mostly from the previous Rein—Reinforce I, the entity that had been corrupted by the Book of Darkness.

But since they had no other choice, Hayate gave her okay. The data had to be entered in the mainframe directly via a secure terminal. Only Nanoha accompanied her inside.

The room was vastly different from what Hayate had expected. Nearly the entire room was filled with a single big machine. In the middle of the room was a capsule akin to the life pods that Scaglietti had used.

"Here we go…" Hayate opened the Tome of Night Sky and called upon the data. Nanoha couldn't make any sense of it, mostly because it was in Ancient Belkan. Hayate entered all the data and it took far over thirty minutes to do so. Finally, she reached the last string.

The machine in front of them suddenly became alive. It started buzzing and beeping, and a voice was heard. "_Time until completion of ALIAS: Thirteen hours and thirty-eight minutes._"

The capsule was suddenly filled with a green, half see-through liquid with small silver blocks floating in it.

"_Sealing manufacturing room now. All personnel are to leave until manufacturing is completed._" The voice was robotic and automated.

Nanoha didn't think it would take so long, but at least they weren't running on a time limit. Maybe it was now time to tell everyone about their encounter with…them.

Nanoha and Hayate left the room, and the door sealed itself behind them, much to the annoyance of Teana, who was curious about the process of the ALIAS technology. Well, it couldn't be helped. Maybe there were external factors like light and heat to be considered inside there.

"I want everyone to come with me. There is something important regarding our mission I have to tell you," Nanoha told everyone. While Shamal asked Signum not to come and promised to tell her everything, the Knight of Sword couldn't bother listening to her friend's plea this time.

After sitting down in the lounge, Nanoha told them what she and Fate saw—the true terror behind the words of the captain; the truth of how frightening the Asari were.

It took Nanoha nearly half an hour to finish her story. It was…hard for her to describe the disgusting details, and Fate took over at some places, also quite obviously bothered by the violence and brutality of the creatures.

Teana had been making notes and recording data in a small terminal. From what Nanoha had said, the things were truly as far removed from human beings as the captain had said. Magic to slaughter people. Magic to freeze time. And that monster they had encountered—Tyr. Tyreithar Morti Alycancis, Lady of Massacre. "Magic of Infinite Sacrifice." A truly fitting title from what Nanoha had said…

"What do we do now?" Subaru had been silent for a while, so her question surprised everyone a little.

"We have no orders from headquarters. Once communication is back on, we will try to get new orders. But…given the nature of our unit, I can already guess what our purpose is going to be." Hayate looked around. Each of them knew this much. They were all powerful mages. They all knew the risk of dealing with things like this.

"We are probably going to be ordered to track them down and kill them." Hayate felt that saying "capture" would give the others the wrong idea. There was no capturing those things. And if they attacked them without the intent to kill…they had already lost.

"Before this mission…I'd never killed anyone. But to set these things free…to throw your life away to let these monsters roam the dimensions. I cannot…I cannot feel guilty. I cannot feel bad if I kill them. That I tried my best to stop them, even if it meant killing so many people…does…does that make me a bad person?" Subaru was looking at the table. The true feeling of guilt came from _not_ feeling guilt after killing so many people.

"No. Even if you had only knocked them out, the Asari would have killed them. You saw it yourself. They killed everything in their way, friend or foe alike." Fate stood up and looked at Subaru. "They were already dead when they decided to attack this station. In the end, we truly only beat on corpses." Fate knew that wrong guilt could eat someone up from the inside if left unchecked.

"Y-yeah…you're right…" Subaru sat down, but didn't look better.

"It is their own fault for attacking us. They must have known what kind of monster they were going to free. If you hadn't killed them, the Asari would have. You don't need to feel guilty for destroying them," Vita said, looking at the worried girl.

"That's enough serious talk for today." Hayate stood up and declared the meeting over. "It will still take over twelve hours for the ALIAS to be completed. Let's get some sleep. We all need it. Someone needs to stay up and stand guard, though." Hayate looked in the round. Everyone seemed tired from the recent events.

"I'll do it," Vita volunteered. Since nobody objected, it was a done deal, and everyone went to their quarters.

Agito and Rein had come to an understanding regarding who would sleep where, and both followed Hayate, who wasn't too sure about Signum's decision.

There was no night or day in space. No stars, no sun, no planets. Just vast empty space. Undisturbed, Vita stood guard for six hours. Zafira relieved her from her post and Vita went to sleep in her room. Zafira apparently didn't mind sleeping on the ground. The bed was untouched.

The ship was eerily silent, and everyone, despite what they had done and seen, slept a deep, dreamless sleep.

=== Limitless ===

"Shouldn't it be done by now?" Nanoha was standing in front of the manufacturing room, waiting. The door should have unsealed itself a few minutes ago, yet nothing had happened.

Hayate was there as well as everyone else. "Maybe it didn't work," she said. "I don't want anyone to break open the door, though. We might damage the ship's systems and get stuck here."

All of them were waiting for the ALIAS to be completed. Without it, it would be nearly impossible to get most of the ship's primary and secondary functions to work. And it had run a few minutes overtime already.

Then, finally, the robotic voice was relayed through the entire ship and at the same moment, the door buzzed and was unsealed.

"_Completion of Artificial Life Intelligence Avatar System finished. Customization finished. Turing over primary system controls to ALIAS. Turning over secondary system controls to ALIAS. No problems detected._"

The door opened and an enormous amount of dense smoke extended into the hallway, engulfing all of them into a literally zero-vision zone.

"_Ship ID XAIF-27, ALIAS ID REINFORCE._"

Everyone was staring at the where the door was. After all, it was her data, but for the ALIAS to even keep the same name…

The smoke slowly dispersed, and the door to the manufacturing room closed with a loud buzz. In front of the door was the new ALIAS of the ship. The ALIAS of the _White Devil_, called Reinforce.

It was a one-hundred percent lookalike to the Reinforce Nanoha, Fate, Hayate and the Wolkenritter had fought in the Book of Darkness incident.

Red eyes watched their shocked faces.

=== End of Mission II ===


	3. Dark Era

A/N: It took forever to do this chapter because of several reasons. One, my editor kept stalling, and whether those were justified reasons or not I cannot say. Secondly, It was very difficult to find another editor for this. Despite the popularity Nanoha has, there aren't very many people fit to edit. And lastly, I was refusing to release it raw. Chapter 4 is almost written, so I will try to speed up the releases for this to make up for the long break.

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission Three ===

**Dark Era**

Everyone, except Hayate and the hospitalized, was sitting in the lounge of the ship. The ALIAS had needed a lot of configuration info and most of it was confidential, so Hayate had been alone with _her_ for the past twenty minutes.

The Wolkenritter were still bound to the medical office. At least, all of them but Shamal. Rein II was sitting on the blond knight's shoulder and seemed a bit down after seeing the original Reinforce—or rather, her replica—in flesh and blood.

"I wonder how Hayate feels about this…" Fate was worried about her friend. Hayate's parting ways with Reinforce I wasn't a very happy memory for all of them.

Teana and Subaru were rather quiet, sitting a bit aside from the others. They knew of the Book of Darkness incident and Teana had heard some of the details from Fate, but as neither one of them had been there, they still didn't have the full story. Even Subaru couldn't help but be curious…but the general mood was easy enough to read, even for her.

"Hayate is not a child anymore. I have faith that she can do this. But I am…nervous. It is a little disquieting to see the original Reinforce walking around again," Shamal said, watching the unison device on her shoulder.

Their little meeting was interrupted by a terminal opening up in mid-air in the center of the room. On it was the face of Hayate. It was apparently a ship-wide transmission.

"Nanoha, Fate, come to the bridge, please. Teana, Subaru, you two too. We have a problem."

Shamal noticed that she was excluded from the list, and so were Agito and Rein. Agito was back with Signum anyway, and she had to do a few checkups on Vita and Zafira.

An awkward silence dominated the air as the four of them raced toward the bridge. The entire ship was up and running, but as they made their way closer, systems seemed to be shutting down. What exactly was the problem Hayate mentioned?

On the bridge, Hayate was standing in front of a terminal. Next to her was the ALIAS, Reinforce. Hayate turned around at the sound of the door opening. All four of them ignored any regulations and went straight to Hayate.

"What's wrong, Hayate?" Nanoha was the first to ask, and immediately earned a worried look from her superior officer.

"Reinforce, explain it to them. Leave out the details of how and why," Hayate ordered the ALIAS and then waited for her to start talking. She felt odd, addressing the woman as Reinforce. She was the Avatar for the ship's systems, yes. One could go as far as to call her a device of sorts. But this woman was clearly _not_ the Reinforce of the past. Hayate was not as small a person to fault her for this, though.

"This ship was never made for hyper drive jumps. The remote hyper drive installed on this ship has drained over ninety percent of the power generator's supply. Without a tremendous energy burst, the generator will stop in exactly one hundred eighty hours and twenty minutes. Life support will run on emergency generators for sixty hours after that. I have already shut down all non-essential systems as Captain Yagami ordered."

Even the voice was the same. It was…eerily familiar.

"The main problem is that even with an energy burst, the generator is dying. We can get it going for a few more days, but there is no hyper drive." Hayate took over from the avatar and moved to a different terminal. "Reinforce, show the diagram." Hayate got a little bit more used to it with every time she called her by her name.

A huge diagram was immediately displayed on the new terminal. It made virtually no sense to anyone except Fate and Teana, who understood a little of what was described there. It was mostly mathematical equations and energy calculation, very difficult science.

"The needed amount of energy, if substituted by human magic, is one SFE to reanimate the generator for exactly thirty-two hours." Reinforce seemed to assume that everyone knew what SFE meant, but only Teana vaguely remembered the term from a measurement scale of magic energy. It was a tremendously high concentration of energy from what she remembered. Solar Flare Explosion was the term, if she recalled correctly.

"In other words, magic power on the equivalent of our limit breaks. Or rather, Nanoha's, Fate's, and mine. You two together should be able to reach the necessary amount too, Teana, Subaru." Hayate glanced at the others. She had turned a little pale and seemed very tired. Shamal had unwillingly let her off since she couldn't find any direct damage, but Hayate still had an appointment to check with her knight later.

"Do you mean we're to take turns in supplying the generator with power? How do we do that? We can't just shoot at the generator." Fate understood a bit about spaceship energy generators, but not enough to know what Hayate was proposing.

Reinforce called up another terminal upon Hayate's look. It was like she was reading the brunette woman's mind. Given her looks and name, it only made the eerie sensation worse.

"There is the possibility of direct absorption of energy by the generator. With the right adjustments, the generator can be temporarily used to draw in energy instead of giving energy off. If in that time an extreme amount of magic energy were to be released in close proximity to the core, the generator could take the energy and continue working, using said energy as start potential." Reinforce pointed toward blueprints of the generator. Current images of it on board and possible scenarios emulated with the ship's virtual frame.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Subaru blurted out and everyone stared at her. Nobody seemed delighted or happy with that plan. It had a certain "last way" feeling to it.

"There should be no physical problems. In theory, headaches and exhaustion will take place due to the loss of massive amounts of magic energy," Reinforce replied. While her voice was the same, she didn't talk the same way.

"It's our only choice. Nanoha, can you cover the initial burst? Shamal will kill me if I do it as I am now," Hayate had started to stagger where she stood.

Before anyone could as much as gasp, the ALIAS was already at her side. "Are you okay, Hayate?"

Nanoha and Fate felt a sudden shock. The tone and manner of talking had instantly changed—this seemed much more like the old Reinforce…so much that it was kind of scary. Hayate met their confused and scared eyes and smiled at them.

"Don't worry. I simply uploaded some of the remains of Reinforce's data to her memory. I couldn't stand looking at her acting like a robot. I asked her to not show it immediately, but I guess I shouldn't have uploaded the emotional system part." Hayate took a deep breath and seemed a little better. She was still leaning against part of a machine of sorts to support herself.

Reinforce didn't go back to her usual self. She closed her eyes for a second and seemed to do something, but Nanoha couldn't tell what exactly what it was.

"I notified Shamal that you're going to the medical office. Officer Takamachi, Officer Harlaown, can you take Commander Yagami there? I need to begin with the adjustments for the generator core. The captain made that a priority order." Reinforce waited for Nanoha and Fate to react.

They quickly took custody of Hayate, who seemed much weaker than before. She had probably been putting up a front. Teana and Subaru felt a little misplaced and stepped aside when Nanoha, who was supporting Hayate now, walked past.

Fate stopped and looked at the ALIAS. She seemed to genuinely care for Hayate. Why had Hayate done such a thing as giving the remains of the original Reinforce to her? Emotional attachment? Was she trying to compensate for the loss of the original Reinforce shortly after she became the book's true master?

"Subaru, Teana, you are dismissed. Conserve your magic energy in case of an emergency. If you can, create a few cartridges for future use." Looking quickly one more time at the avatar, Fate left, going after Nanoha.

Reinforce was diligently working when Teana and Subaru headed for their quarters. They couldn't do anything, and Shamal would just kick them out from the already-full medical office if they went there.

"It must be really weird for everyone to have her walking around. Fate told me what happened after the Book of Darkness battle." Teana lowered her voice a bit, talking to Subaru who was walking next to her. "Reinforce was lost, and Hayate only got to keep limited parts of her. Most of those were used to create Rein. "I wonder…hey, are you listening?" Teana stopped and stood still while Subaru slowly continued walking.

Having stopped a few meters ahead of her partner, Subaru turned around and looked oddly happy, considering their situation. "I'm sure Hayate had her reasons. Don't think so hard about this, Tea. You should learn to let things go." Nobody knew Tea as well as Subaru did.

Teana looked out of one of the small windows and asked herself if Subaru were right. Was it just one of Hayate's sudden decisions? She had heard a fair deal about her from Fate, but this seemed to have deeper reasons.

Teana hated the cold vast space. They were drifting endlessly. There was neither day nor night in a spaceship…just periods of sleep and waking. Teana and Subaru spent most of their time investigating cases on the surface of a planet, not out in space. They weren't used to these circumstances.

Following the blue-haired girl, Teana's thoughts drifted back to the sudden change of personality in the ALIAS when Hayate had started to feel weak. What exactly _was_ that thing? Was it even really alive?

=== Limitless ===

"I'm suspending you from active duty." The woman was iron about this and looked at the rather dissatisfied face of her unwilling patient. But Shamal knew no mercy.

"Your ability to store magical energy has been compromised. I can only guess it's an aftereffect of the dual unison with Rein and Agito. Until I can come up with a countermeasure or until it goes away, you're to stay in your quarters." Shamal turned around and left the room.

"Shamal, is Hayate okay?" Nanoha seemed to be quite worried about her.

"Physically? Mostly. She's leaking magical energy and that's hurting her body a little. It's like a magical cold, if I have to call it something. Until she's better, I've relieved her of duty." She didn't need to tell Nanoha what that meant. If Hayate were officially put out of action, then Nanoha would be the acting commander instead.

Fate stood next to Nanoha, listening quietly. She was relieved that Hayate wasn't in danger, but she still had to tell Shamal something. Signum and the others as well, but Shamal could relay the message for her.

"Shamal, Hayate seems to have given the ALIAS the remains of the old Reinforce. I just thought you should know." Fate felt a little bad on the inside for not trusting Hayate to tell her knights. But that thing had full control over the ship. Just in case…

"She already told me. I don't know what I should think about it. It's her decision and I trust Hayate, but…" Shamal was torn inside about how she should feel about it.

"Speak of the devil." Shamal pointed down the corridor.

The subject of discussion was walking right toward them. The strange feeling of reminiscence was stronger and stronger every time they saw her. They had battled her, had watched her die, and even had shed a few tears at her parting, and yet here she was, standing, walking, and talking with them. The avatar even had some—if not most—of her original personality.

After looking at Nanoha and Fate for a few seconds, the avatar turned toward Shamal. Her expression changed—like seeing an old friend. Shamal couldn't help but think that the Reinforce before her was just about to grab and hug her. How much freedom did an ALIAS have, anyway? Shamal knew nothing about this technology.

"Medical Chief Officer Shamal. Might I see Commander Yagami?" Reinforce used the formal title to address her. It made Shamal flinch.

"Shamal is fine. It feels weird having you call me anything else." Not particularly happy about it, the knight opened the door and let the ALIAS inside. If getting called by her title by this thing was odd…then so was her desire to simply _see_ Hayate. But if she really had parts of the original Reinforce personality…

"I'll call you via terminal if anything comes up, Nanoha." Shamal closed the door to the office behind her and left the two women to themselves. She didn't want to let that…_thing_ out of her sight. She didn't trust it yet.

"What do you think of her?" Fate wasn't sure what to make of the new Reinforce. If it made Hayate happy, then it was a good thing, but it looked a bit unstable. Even if it was an artificial life form, it was not even a day old.

"She looks and sounds just like Reinforce. If Hayate really gave her the personality and memories of the old Reinforce, then she must want that avatar to really become as close to the original as possible." Nanoha feared that Hayate wasn't thinking straight with this.

"Nanoha…do you think Hayate is compensating for when she lost the original Reinforce? I wonder how Rein feels…it's confusing, having two Reinforces around."

Fate was unpleasantly reminded of Precia Testarossa, her mother. She had wanted Fate to become Alicia. Had Hayate wanted that system to become Reinforce—a replacement?

"I don't know. I hope not. It's likely the TSAB will have this ship disassembled or confiscated when we get back. Can the ALIAS leave the ship it was created for?" Nanoha leaned against the wall. Considering just how much had happened in the last few days, she felt tired out. And then there was…_that_.

"I don't know that much about the technology. It was supposedly used by the Ancient Belkans in their wars to operate ships without people on them." Fate was not too happy about the ban the TSAB had issued on the technology. Banning technology because of a potential risk was one thing, but this time it really could have helped them…

The door in front of them opened again and the subject of their discussion came out. From what they could tell, she seemed happy. At least, she was smiling. Stopping right in front of Nanoha, the woman waited a few seconds.

"Nanoha…" It was different from before. Not as dry and alien. The voice seemed almost…human.

"Hayate asked me to set course for the inter-dimensional coordinates 01289-88103. It is the closest planet. It will take us twenty-six hours to reach that point with just standard propulsion. The generator will run out of power in eight hours and three minutes. You should get some rest."

The avatar's way of talking had changed completely. It had used her first name to address her…

Nanoha hesitated for a moment—but nothing would come out of it if Nanoha kept on doubting her. Hayate seemed to trust her enough to give her Reinforce's data…

"Reinforce," she said. The avatar looked surprised to be addressed like this by someone other than Hayate. "Come with us for a bit."

"_What are you doing, Nanoha?_" Fate didn't want to ask her in front of the avatar, so she used telepathy.

"_I am going to ask her a few things. I want to trust her, but I can't do that if I don't know anything. Don't worry, Fate-chan, I'll be careful._" Nanoha smiled inwardly.

She headed into the empty lounge, then stopped in the middle of the room and turned to the two women who had followed her.

"Reinforce, how much of the original Reinforce do you know?" Nanoha was usually not the type to pry into matters like these, but if something went wrong, Reinforce could become a danger to security. With everything she had seen in the last few hours…Nanoha didn't want to take any risks.

"There were no intact memories. Only parts of her personality, which Hayate gave to me. She did tell me about Reinforce and Reinforce Zwei earlier. I understand if you doubt me." Reinforce looked straight into Nanoha's eyes as she stood there quietly.

"Did Hayate say anything about why she gave that data to you?" Fate joined the conversation. She knew well how much sadness and pain things like this could lead to. She had experienced that firsthand.

"Not much. I received the data because it was thought it would suit me. ALIAS have no personality by default. We are simply tools that follow orders," Reinforce answered, standing exactly between Nanoha and Fate. She didn't have any obligation to answer them, but she seemed to want to gain their trust.

"The same as Vita-chan and the others, then." Nanoha thought about it. Hayate had explained it to them once, how the Wolkenritter had just been tools for their masters and she had changed it. Hayate was sometimes too nice for her own good.

"I am sorry to interrupt you, but there is a long-range transmission incoming." Reinforce seemed to be every bit as puzzled as Nanoha and Fate. This was the outer edge of the universe. Who knew they were here, and why send a message all the way here?

"It's spread over the entire region. I cannot tell, but I think it might be a broadcast. Shall I put it on a terminal?"

Nanoha quickly nodded. She had a bad feeling that this wouldn't be a call from headquarters. "Open terminals in the medical office and wherever Teana and Subaru are as well." Nanoha had not forgotten that _she_ was the acting commander right now.

Reinforce closed her eyes, and a large terminal showed up in the middle of the room. The image was disturbing, to say the least.

It was a dimly lit room, showing four people from a distance of a few meters. It only took a few seconds for Nanoha to notice the destruction and blood on the walls behind and around them. As for the people…Nanoha and Fate knew. They had seen them and had encountered one of them. They had hoped to never see them again.

There was silence. They were sitting there, waiting for all the galaxy to give their attention to them. Tyr was standing on the left side, while their leader was in the middle, sitting on something unrecognizable.

"Humans of this era," it began.

Nanoha was reminded of the voice that had gone through the mind and directly pierced the heart, a creepy voice from the depths of hell.

"I am Vysfila Riax Morti Alycancis. Long have I waited for this day. Listen well, filth of the lower realms!" The leader finally stood up, and now it was clearly visible that what she had been sitting on was a pile of bones and corpses. Nanoha covered her mouth in disgust.

"I have come to pass judgment on those who betrayed me. Soon I shall revive the beast that devours the heavens. I shall destroy everything that stands before me. You are merely a stepping stone in my crusade against those foolish enough to fight me. Choose, humans!"

The figure lifted one of the corpses from the pile and held it up for everyone to see. "Choose to fight against us, and die like insignificant vermin!" Before the very eyes of everyone watching, the corpses turned into dust in a matter of seconds. Nothing remained, not even bones. Dust and sand gushed from her hand.

"Choose to follow me, and gain eternal life!" The camera changed and was now fixated on a living soldier, standing in the back. He didn't seem scared. He was smiling and seemingly about to laugh.

The monster called Tyr slowly walked up to the soldier, looming over him like a tower over a dog. With a brutal single moment, the man lost his left arm. And stood there like nothing happened.

Then the unbelievable happened. It was like they were watching the video backwards, except Tyr did not repeat her movements. The arm simply reattached itself. No blood spilled. No pain on the face of the human.

"Only the foolish stand against me if all you await is power! Never fear death again, never fear illness or oppression. Be liberated from your weakness." The camera was back to the woman. Behind her were two more monstrous women who had been silent the whole time. Nanoha knew them. They had been with this megalomaniac in prison.

"But there will be those who rise up in arms to fight us. Fools! My power is limitless! The civilization of Al Hazard trembled before me, just like the people of Belka! To show you what true power is, I shall obliterate this planet with my bare hands!"

Deadly silence filled the room. The woman was clearly mad. Only dreadnought warships had the power to do that, and even then only the most powerful ones.

The camera changed instantly. Was it a recording? The view was now from the perspective of a spaceship looking down on a green planet.

Fate gasped. "I know that planet. Now I also know how they are transmitting this far! That's Administrated World #21, Karilfir. They have the best long-range transmitting equipment in the galaxy."

Fate turned pale as the green planet rapidly started to change. In less than ten seconds the green of the planet turned into brown and red. The planet died in seconds—then started to crumble to pieces. No explosion. No sign of forceful intervention. It was like it had just died of old age.

The camera changed once again to show the inside of a spaceship. It was impossible to tell more. The woman appeared again before them.

"Listen well, humans! I seek not justice! I seek not equality! Those things do not exist. They are illusions for the weak. Stand against us and be obliterated. Stand with us, and you shall yet survive another day. This is no longer the era of you humans. This is the era of retribution and destruction. The era of Asayres has begun!" Vysfila shouted the last few words, and as soon as the echo of the video ended, the image went blurry. The galaxy was silent.

"A whole planet…obliterated just like that. There were billions of people on that planet…" Fate's voice was just a echo of its former self.

"To go that far…" Nanoha was pale. To destroy an entire planet just to prove her power. And that message. It was not a threat. They had no demands. It was simply a warning that they would destroy everything that opposed them. Nanoha felt powerless. How was she supposed to stop something that could obliterate worlds?

Two terminals popped up—Reinforce managed both of them. Shamal and Hayate, as well as Teana and Subaru, were on screen.

"Nanoha, did you see that message?" Hayate wasn't looking too good. Shamal looked even worse than Nanoha. Subaru was oddly silent, and Teana was not looking very well, either.

"I did. All of it." Nanoha sat down. She just didn't have the strength left in her legs to stand. She knew from her encounter with Tyr that they were monsters. But…

"Did they really destroy a planet?" Teana said. "I can't believe it. Not even the TSAB battleships could destroy a planet completely. Not even the _Saint's Cradle_ could. There would always be some debris."

"I believe it. Fate and I encountered one of them in the space station. Their magic is far beyond anything we know. And I fear that she was serious when she talked about Al Hazard." Nanoha had always found a way to win, sometimes for a price. But this time, things looked bleak.

"Reinforce, how close do we have to get to relay a message to TSAB headquarters?" Hayate asked, knowing that the TSAB was unlikely to just stand by and watch whole worlds be destroyed.

"If we go with our plan to charge the generator with magic energy, then it will take roughly sixty hours to reach the minimal distance to send a message." Reinforce didn't look as bad as the others, but she also had been struck by the limitless destruction. One didn't have to live for long to understand the danger of someone who could destroy worlds.

"That's a lot of time…Nanoha, I trust you with the initial activation in a few hours. We need to report back to headquarters." Hayate was sure that they were going to be sent to the front lines against these monsters, but it couldn't be helped. She'd rather fight a losing battle than stand by and watch the galaxy be destroyed.

"I am responsible for this situation as commanding officer." Hayate bit her lip. If they all took the blame, they could kiss their lives goodbye. If _she_ took the blame, she would probably be demoted quite a few ranks, but the others would get away clean.

"Don't be stupid, Hayate." Nanoha didn't like it when people took all the blame upon themselves. It was wrong. "We're in this together."

"Thank you, Nanoha." Hayate's terminal closed itself. Shamal must've come back to her senses and gone to get Hayate back into bed.

"Subaru, Teana. You two don't need to risk your life for this if it comes down to it. It'll be enough if Hayate and I—" Nanoha didn't get to finish her line.

"If those monsters really have the power to destroy planets, there will be no life to get back to if we don't stop them, Nanoha." Teana's smile was forced. "It's like you said. We're in this together."

Teana closed her terminal as well. She needed some time to deal with this. And Subaru was acting strange.

"Reinforce, how long until the first charge of the generator?" Nanoha turned around, looking at the avatar. She doubted that she would be able to sleep, but relieving some fatigue by simply lying in bed should be enough.

"Seven hours and forty minutes," Reinforce answered and powered down a few sections of the ship to conserve energy. The supply was limited for now. And she wanted to ease the burden on Nanoha. It was weird—her programming was all messed up from Hayate's input, but she delighted in being able to "feel" things.

"I'm going to get some rest." Nanoha left for the door. While walking, she asked Fate via telepathy to come with her. She didn't want to be alone in a dark room.

Whenever she was alone, she could see the bloodstained walls and floors, the monster chewing on humans, the sounds of bodies being torn apart. She had dealt with it by concentrating on the enemy in front of her, but now that said enemy was gone…the nightmares haunted her even when she was awake.

=== Limitless ===

The ship was silent for a few hours. Everyone had returned to their quarters, thinking about what they should do. It was their failure that these things had returned from their eternal prison. That fact was on all their minds. They could not idly stand by and watch their homes, their friends, _humanity_ itself be destroyed by ancient monsters wielding great power.

The commander of the unit rested in her bed, wide awake. She had long decided what she would do. "I will fight these things. They are not invincible, after all. If someone trapped them before, there must be a way to defeat them."

Her knights would follow her anywhere. To them, she was the one person they would never let go.

Vita had finally woken up, but Shamal refused to let her go and see Hayate. Both of them needed rest. Shamal told Vita all about the broadcast, however. "There is nothing Graf Eisen and I can't destroy. And if those idiots stand in our way, that's what I'll do." Vita punched the air.

"Hayate will fight. She's just that kind of person. Even if the price is doing it with just us five." Signum could almost feel Hayate's thoughts. To stand against an enemy the likes of which the universe had not seen in over twenty centuries…to say the least, Signum was proud of her mistress.

"She feels responsible. I do too. I feel…weak. We were unable to do anything. Thrown in a battle between such huge forces…we were just a drip of water against a fire," Shamal said. She was still keeping an eye on Vita and Signum. Both prone to just try and leave the room and go and talk to Hayate.

"Does it matter who our enemy is? On the battlefield, there is no individual existence. You're either enemy or ally. And no matter who opposes us, we will protect Hayate." Zafira said what everyone was thinking.

They were the enemy. It was just a matter of fighting and winning. And with Hayate on their side, they could do it. But they weren't alone.

=== Limitless ===

"What are you thinking, Tea?" Subaru lay stretched out on her bed, trying not to burn the image of the planet dying into her mind. "It's horrible to destroy a whole world…Scaglietti and Meteora had been really bad, and they got what they deserved, but this? She said she came to pass judgment. But on whom?"

Teana sat on the end of the bed and stared at the door. She could just leave. If the captain really took responsibility for this, she could get clean away. But then…where should she go? And could she live with herself?

Two strong arms grabbed her waist, and she could feel the breasts of her partner pressing onto her back. "You won't run away, Tea. You're not a coward like that. And I'm happy we'll be in this together." Subaru kissed Teana's neck and remained just like that, hugging her from behind.

"Sometimes you really say good things." Teana turned her head slightly and looked at her partner from the corner of her eye. "I'm happy you're here with me," she said, truly thankful to have such a caring partner.

They were young, but strong. If they didn't fight here, there was nothing to return to. With an enemy in front of them strong enough to annihilate any planet, this was their only choice. To run was useless. If they were the only ones left alive, what sense was there in being alive at all?

=== Limitless ===

"Leave the light on, please." Nanoha was lying in her bed, waiting for Fate to join her. Having no other clothes but their uniforms and barrier jackets, Nanoha simply slept in her underwear. Fate was the same.

Fate dimmed the light, but didn't turn it off completely before walking to the bed.

"I cannot understand how anything could do something like that," Nanoha said. "Destroy a planet…kill their own followers and rescuers like that and—"

Fate laid a finger on Nanoha's lips. "Don't try to remember it. I've seen…a lot on my duties as Enforcer, but nothing like that. They are not human, they are monsters. Don't try to understand them." Fate lay down next to her partner. The bed didn't offer enough space to lie side by side, so Fate embraced Nanoha, sheltering her from her nightmares.

"I still see the blood-painted corridor in my dreams…sometimes even when I'm awake. The sound has burned itself into my memory… I've never been so scared of something before, Fate."

Fate knew the exact extent of Nanoha's power and it was sometimes frightening, but even a powerful mage like her had her limits.

"I'm here for you." Fate pulled the scared woman closer. "But what are we going to do, Nanoha? I admit, I'm a little scared…their power really seems to be as strong as they said."

"If we don't fight, who will? I am sure Hayate and everyone won't run away either. And we need to protect our home…not just for us, but also for Vivio."

Nanoha tried not to think about her too much. If they really were going to fight…then taking Vivio with them would be dangerous. Mid-Childa was probably the safest place to be right now.

"I'm worried about Vivio. She's only eight years old, and we're both MIA right now." Fate was always doting on Vivio. Nanoha didn't like that too much, but she loved Vivio very much as well.

"She's soon going to be nine. Vivio is not a little girl anymore. She knows that we sometimes have to leave for some time. I'd rather have her with me, but what do we do if we get attacked? We can't just operate from Mid-Childa. The safest place to be is where she is right now." Nanoha closed her eyes. With Fate this close and thinking about Vivio, she could almost forget the stench of blood and the sounds.

They were together and they had something to protect. It gave them much needed strength, since the task before them was no simple one. Neither Scaglietti nor Meteora had been this dangerous.

=== Limitless ===

The ship was silent. The corridors were only lit by emergency lights to save energy, and the bridge was only dimly lit as well.

Reinforce was standing on the bridge, alone, when the door opened and the smaller Rein flew in. She had not talked to the lookalike of her original yet. Agito followed her with a rather annoyed expression.

"Reinforce Zwei." The avatar turned around. The small girl flew up until she was right at eye level with the avatar—but Reinforce didn't know how to talk to her. Hayate had told her about how she created Rein, but it still was a little weird.

Silence continued while the two Reinforces watched each other. Agito got more annoyed with every second. Why had she agreed to go with Pointy Hair anyway? She could sort of understand the awkwardness between them, but why the hell did Rein need her to come along?

"Just get out with it already, Pointy Hair. Tell her what you wanted to say!" Agito cursed and turned around, flying towards the front of the bridge.

"You're not…_her_, are you?" Rein didn't know how to start. She just wanted to tell her one thing. But why was that so hard all of a sudden? If Hayate gave her the old Reinforce's data, then she must have had a good reason.

"I possess some of the original Reinforce's data, including parts of her personality code. But you are right. I am not her. I don't intend to try and be her. Hayate does not wish for me to replace her, or you." Reinforce might just be an ALIAS, but thanks to the original's data and Hayate's configurations, she was able to perceive things much better than other, similar systems.

Rein was relieved to hear the woman say that. It seemed unreal to her that Hayate would seek a replacement, but doubt was a powerful force.

"Pointy Hair here was worried that her master was going to replace her because she—" Agito got a fierce glare from the other miniature girl. "Okay, because _we_ screwed up the dual unison. Give me a break already!" Agito sighed and flew past Reinforce. "There's no way for her to replace you. She is the ship's avatar. She isn't a unison device. I've told you that before. Tsk."

"What she said is true. And I didn't intend to cause you to worry. You should get some rest." Reinforce showed a little concern on her face and the girls turned to go. "And Rein…" She felt that it was easiest to just call her Rein while she used the full name. Hayate had proposed that as well. "If you could tell me about Hayate sometime…"

"Sure!" Rein seemed happy that this Reinforce was a nice person. System. Whatever she was.

"Move your butt already, Rein. It's bad enough that I'm stuck sleeping in the same room with you, but now you're depriving me of my sleep," Agito complained, and an annoyed Rein followed her.

They didn't get along very well, Reinforce thought. They were still arguing in the corridor. She had full control over the ship, so it was easy for her to listen to them. They really were fire and ice, just like Hayate had said.

=== Limitless ===

Nanoha woke up to the beeping sound of a terminal. Was it already time? When had she fallen asleep? In front of her was Fate, still keeping her safe from her nightmares.

Nanoha leaned forward and kissed her partner gently. "Thank you, Fate-chan."

Carefully moving out of bed, Nanoha answered the terminal and Reinforce's face popped up. Nanoha put a finger to her lips. "Shhh."

She took a look at the terminal's clock. It was time. Twenty minutes of power were left. Grabbing her clothes, Nanoha dressed and took Raising Heart from the table. She left her quarters without waking up Fate. Nanoha opened up a terminal in the corridor.

"The engine room is on the lower deck. I'll be waiting there," Reinforce quickly said, and closed the terminal. She was probably doing last-minute adjustments.

"Raising Heart, remain on stand-by, please." Nanoha took a deep breath and started walking toward the lower deck. She was not even halfway down when she noticed that the whole ship was almost dead. Only emergency lights everywhere. Taking the stairs to the lower deck was a detour, but it was the only way now. The transporter was out of commission because of the lack of power.

Reinforce was already waiting for her at the door. Nanoha wondered if the clothes, the same things the original Reinforce had originally worn, had been engineered alongside her body. A sudden burst of silliness made her think about how Hayate often made her knights dress up and that this Reinforce wouldn't get away clean either.

"I'll explain the mechanism to you. I will drain the generator completely empty and the core will shut down. From then on, you have three minutes to recharge it until it reaches critical status and implodes. It will be easiest for you to simply release magic energy in raw form inside the core room." Reinforce opened a shutter with a security code that seemed much too long for Nanoha to comprehend.

The generator had a whole room to itself. It was a rectangular room with smaller parts at each corner and a huge ball-shaped machine in the middle.

"That big machine is the core. Once it shuts down, you can enter the room without danger. Put your hand on the core and channel everything in it." Reinforce started inputting commands in a nearby terminal. There was no network interface for the core itself, so she had to do it manually.

Nanoha just nodded and called up her barrier jacket in Exceed Mode. If she really had to go all out, she needed the extra power. "Raising Heart. You understand what we need to do?"

The device blinked. "Yes. We will release unrefined magic energy and channel it into the target. Releasing more than ninety percent total energy will result in dangerous conditions. Emergency lockdown is set."

"Thank you. Reinforce, I'm done." Nanoha turned towards the door. Releasing magic like that was easy. But she had to control herself. Fate would scold her if she came back too exhausted.

"Starting generator shutdown. T minus eighteen until complete shutdown and energy drain. It's all up to you, now."

Seventeen seconds later, Reinforce dropped to the ground, unconscious. If the ship had no energy, the avatar went down as well.

The door opened. The room smelled like burnt rubber and it was tremendously hot in there. Nanoha's barrier jacket immediately deployed a barrier around her.

Walking towards the core was much easier said than done. The closer she went, the hotter it got. And she had to put her _hand_ on this thing? Thank God she was using her barrier jacket in Exceed Mode.

"Raising Heart, load cartridges." Nanoha had to cover her eyes with her arm. Despite the barrier, she was feeling the heat.

"Deploying reinforced barrier, exceed mode. Temperature of the core estimated to be over one thousand degrees." Nanoha felt instantly better when the normal barrier was replaced by a cartridge-powered one. It would only last temporarily, but that was all she needed.

She finally made it to the core system. As she extended her hand and touched the machine, Nanoha gritted her teeth in pain. Despite the enforced barrier, she felt like her flesh was burning. But she had to do this, or they were all stranded in space without power.

"_Raising Heart. Lyrical magical energy release!_" Nanoha felt like someone hit her with a steel ball on the head. Her hand shone with a blinding light and she could feel power gushing out of her. It was almost as bad as getting hit by the magic draining bombs the TEG used.

"Energy down to seventy percent," Raising Heart stated and continued the energy release.

Nanoha wanted to scream in agony. The energy release weakened the barrier and she could feel the heat of the core. Her hand felt like it was melting. Carrying her staff in the off hand, Nanoha tried to concentrate.

"Energy down to fifty percent. Physical condition is nearing critical status."

She had to endure. Only thirty or so more percent until she could leave. She would not stand down before she reached the near-critical amount of energy to sustain her barrier.

"Energy down to twenty-eight percent. Physical condition critical. Master, I am detecting a rise in temperature inside the core. Retreat is recommended." Raising Heart was putting everything into the barrier that wasn't being released.

"Only a little more. Everyone is trusting me with this. Only a little…"

Nanoha was suddenly pulled away with an enormous force. With the momentum of an explosion, she was thrown out of the core room and tossed into the main room.

"Physical condition is critical. Treatment is necessary. Energy down to fifteen percent. Releasing barrier jacket." Raising Heart ended the activation on her own, returning to pendant shape.

Nanoha could hear the heavy door slamming and the shutters of the core room falling closed. Her hand felt like she had put it into a wildfire for a few minutes, which came quite close to the truth. She glanced down at it only to see that she had severe burns all over her palm. But she had succeeded. Leaning back against a wall, Nanoha closed her eyes for just a second.

But she wasn't allowed to rest. Someone pulled her up to her feet. Opening her eyes a bit, Nanoha could see that it was Reinforce, who had come back to life.

"I am sorry. I underestimated the atmospheric heat in the room. I'll get you to the medical office. I already called Shamal." Reinforce was almost carrying the weakened woman. "The generator is up and running. You did really well." They stepped into the transporter and were quickly lifted to the middle deck.

Nanoha worried that Shamal would scold her for injuring herself, but this time it wasn't completely her fault. "Thank you for saving me. You pulled me away from the core when it was about to restart, didn't you?" Nanoha's doubts about her were mostly gone now. If she had any ill intentions, she wouldn't have saved Nanoha.

Shamal was already waiting for them. Reinforce let go of Nanoha, who was able to walk on her own but was feeling a bit weak. Nanoha entered the medical office after Shamal and sat down. Her hand was causing her a lot of pain.

"I'm sorry, Shamal. We had a little problem with the generator core. I burned my hand." Nanoha stretched out her hand and showed it to the knight.

"You're always pushing yourself too hard. Back then, and now too. But you're lucky, those won't leave scars if we treat them now." Shamal sighed and got a few things together to clean the burns and some bandages.

"Where is everyone?" Nanoha finally noticed that the beds were empty. She could understand that Shamal released Hayate, but Signum still had a broken arm.

"Vita and Zafira are well enough now. They have a room next to Hayate's. Signum has the room next to mine. She promised to take it easy so I let her go and sleep in a real bed, near Hayate," Shamal explained while looking for her things.

Finally having everything together, Shamal cleansed the wound and used a spell to ensure that there would be no scarring. With her hand wrapped in bandages, Nanoha felt the pain ease up a little.

"Be a bit more cautious, Nanoha. You're always overdoing things and ending up injured," Shamal warned the woman and stood up. "I'm going back to bed. You should get back as well." Unsure if an ALIAS needed rest, Shamal decided to include her for now. "Reinforce, you should try to rest a bit too. You have been working nonstop."

As Shamal left in the direction of the officers' quarters, Reinforce watched the doctor's back. She felt a little happy that people weren't treating her like an impostor or a fake. And she was grateful to Hayate for making her as she was now.

"I'm going back too. Fate is going to be really mad about this…" Nanoha looked at her hand and sighed. Fate always got mad when she ended up injured somehow. Wishing Reinforce a good night, Nanoha left, going in the same direction as Shamal but more slowly.

The avatar turned around and made her way to the bridge. She still had Hayate's orders to obey, so she set a course for the destined coordinates with standard propulsion. Thanks to Nanoha, they finally could get away from empty space.

=== Limitless ===

Teana almost fell out of bed when the alarm started ringing. What was wrong now? Terminals popped up in every room, and Reinforce's face showed up. "This is an Emergency Level One situation. Commanding officer and all officers are to come to the bridge."

That was pretty much everyone. Grabbing her clothes and Cross Mirage, Teana shook the still soundly sleeping Subaru. It was like this every time. Teana leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, and Subaru twitched, opening her eyes and pulling back. "Geez, Tea. You don't need to wake me up like…why is the alarm on?"

"Everyone was ordered to the bridge. There's an emergency. Get up already, you lazy bum!" Teana scolded her partner.

The turmoil in the ship was all the same. Fate and Nanoha were the first to appear on bridge, both with wild hair and in somewhat mismatched clothes. Reinforce didn't question them. She instead pointed out whatever was on the main terminal.

Nanoha and Fate were astonished and taken aback by what they saw. In the same moment Hayate came running in, accompanied by Rein and Agito. It only took them seconds to match the reactions of the other two women.

"What…happened here?" Fate whispered and tried to grasp the full scale of what they were seeing.

"Readings indicate…an energy explosion similar to that of a sun turning super nova. I cannot explain what could have caused this, as there are no stars or planets close by," Reinforce explained, having for the first time an eerie feeling herself.

Finally, Subaru and Teana showed up, followed by the Wolkenritter. All of them stared at the terminal. Reinforce switched the images around, showing the full extent of what had happened.

Before them was a battlefield, one of epic proportions. Hundreds of ships, partly destroyed or just junk and parts, floated in empty space.

"There are absolutely no life readings. Whoever did this made sure not to leave any survivors." Reinforce was running an analysis on what could have happened.

"Reinforce, run diagnostics on remnant radiation." Teana refused to acknowledge what everyone was thinking. Not even a day's distance away from the prison. A huge fleet. An energy comparable to that of a supernova.

"I already did. There _is_ no remnant radiation. Not in space, and not on the ships. But there is a tremendous amount of odd magical energy in the atmosphere." Reinforce used a terminal to determine the exact numbers.

"_They_ did this. This fleet was probably the backup in case we failed." Nanoha gritted her teeth. How many people had to die before they were satisfied? Looking at it now, she could see that the ships were all TSAB vessels. And there were no survivors.

"We already knew they're crazy. They destroyed a whole planet just to prove the extent of their power," Vita said and cursed them. "I'll never forgive them."

"I cannot detect any remains. Whatever hit them…there are not even bodies left." Reinforce closed her terminal and looked at the ground. Based on how shocked everyone was, it was probably not the best time to mention it…

"Reinforce, are any of these ships still in usable condition?" Hayate forced herself to look away from the debris field. There was nothing they could do now.

"I cannot detect as such, no. None of the ships have working life support." She was surprised that Hayate was able to think of things like that right now.

"How about a generator? Can we salvage one from any of these?" Hayate knew that they needed either a new ship or they had to replace a lot of their current one. She also didn't want their ship to be destroyed in the near future. She didn't want…to lose Reinforce again.

"There is a lot we could salvage. There are one hundred thirty-seven vessels applicable for salvaging. Not just a generator. Weapons, mantling, support units." Reinforce knew that it might sound greedy and cruel, but her intellect was telling her to make use of this.

"ALIAS ships are made to be very adaptable. Hayate, Nanoha, Fate, can I speak with you for a moment?" Reinforce didn't know how many of the others trusted her, but at least Hayate and Nanoha seemed to.

"Nobody here is going to doubt you, Reinforce." Hayate looked around. Now was not the time to doubt her. If she had a plan to improve their chances of surviving an encounter with enemy forces, then they would listen.

Reinforce enlarged the view on a deeper part of the debris field. An extremely large ship was floating there. Even though it was broken in half, it didn't seem to be entirely destroyed. "This is a dreadnought class warship. We could salvage its generator and the support units. It will take some time to remodel the engine and replace the generator, but it would increase our engine output by over two thousand percent." Reinforce changed the view again.

"There are several destroyer class warships here. Most of them should have support units as well. More support units means faster work. This ship, by default, has only grade K weaponry. While this vessel cannot adapt to dreadnought class weapons, those from a destroyer should work." Reinforce switched the images. It was showing a single ship now.

"This is the only ship I detect that has working sensory units. It would enable us to send a message to the TSAB headquarter coordinates from this place. I strongly suggest we take this chance to take what we can. It…might seem cruel towards the dead, to pillage their ships, but—" Reinforce was finally interrupted.

"We're up against monsters capable of destroying whole planets on their own. They even took out a fleet this large. We cannot be picky. This is no longer just a mission. This is war," Teana said, and stepped forward. "I agree with the proposition to pillage the ships. While I cannot endure space flight, I can help with tech mechanical issues." She turned towards Reinforce. "I trust you."

Subaru quickly joined her partner. "I agree. There are not even bodies left to bury. So many people died. If taking what we can now prevents them from causing this sort of tragedy again, I agree." Taking Teana's hand, Subaru stood proudly next to her.

"I agree too. The soldiers won't complain if we take their stuff to kick the asses of the monsters that killed them," Vita said and took a step forward. "I don't really like having a Reinforce lookalike around, but if Hayate trusts you, I trust you."

The remaining Wolkenritter agreed with Vita.

Nanoha and Fate looked at each other. There was no time to lose, then. They had to make haste if they wanted everything Reinforce thought could be useful.

"If Nanoha trusts you, I trust you as well, Reinforce," Fate said and took a deep breath. "Hayate is still unstable and Nanoha expended her energy a few hours ago. I'll go out into space. Reinforce, can you navigate the ship between the debris? I can't sustain a barrier of that magnitude for extended periods of time."

"I can do that. We should start with the support units first." Reinforce changed the image again, highlighting a few nearby cruisers. "Fate, are you familiar with support units? They should be stored in the hangar section. They can move freely in space. You only need to override their programming remotely." Reinforce put some data into a terminal and pulled a small device from the physical terminal. "This is a transmitter containing the ID code of the _White Devil_. It takes thirty seconds to activate and another thirty to override any unit in a area of hundred feet." Reinforce stepped close to Fate and handed her the device.

"I will resume command of the ship now. Reinforce—" Hayate was quickly interrupted by Shamal.

"Absolutely _not_. You're still unstable. Nanoha will remain acting commander for now. You're coming with me." Shamal dragged Hayate away by her wrist. After a hard and determined glare, Signum followed. Shamal was really strict when it came to her friends.

Reinforce changed the image on the main terminal again so that it now displayed a small spider-legged robot. It had eight legs and was not bigger than maybe half a foot in height.

"Those are the support units. They have interchangeable tools inside them so they can do almost all repair and remodeling work. We only need a few of them to start. After that, I can control them from here remotely to gather more."

"Fate, I'll come with you. Graf Eisen and I will be useful if something comes up," the small knight volunteered and Fate happily agreed. It was always reassuring to have Vita with her.

The ship started to move, slowly maneuvering between wrecks. Teana helped out with the navigational issues and Subaru was to continuously watch shifts in the movement of the wrecks. Reinforce had only been created recently, so she was still incapable of doing all these tasks on her own.

Nanoha moved with Fate to the hangar gate. Fate was in her barrier jacket and had Bardiche in her right hand.

"Be careful, Fate." Nanoha stepped closer, leaning against the blond mage. They remained like that for a few seconds until they were interrupted by the force field of the hangar being deployed. Reinforce was preparing to open the gate.

Nanoha laid one hand on Fate's cheek, moving in for one last kiss before Fate left. Fate returned the favor and deeply kissed Nanoha. They stepped apart when the gate opened.

"Good luck." Nanoha saw Fate off, waiting for her to burst away with the barrier fully deployed.

After returning to the bridge, Nanoha oversaw matters. Reinforce was running another analysis on the ship graveyard and Subaru and Teana controlled the surrounding space in order to avoid a collision with debris. Just a few seconds later, a terminal opened in front of Nanoha. It was sound only.

"_White Devil_, this is Solar Three. I have activated the device." Fate truly was a faithful soldier. Nanoha had forgotten about their newly assigned ranks. It was time they got a grip on the situation.

"Solar Three, continue to observe any reactions. Return to the vessel before you reach critical status on your barrier," Nanoha answered, and looked over to Reinforce. To last against an enemy that could take out a fleet of this size, they had to do everything in their power.

"_Say, Teana, why doesn't the TSAB use vessels like this? According to Reinforce, an ALIAS ship can be much more powerful than an ordinary cruiser because it can absorb the parts of bigger ships as its own._" Subaru was using telepathy again.

"_They banned the ALIAS technology because it seemed dangerous. I don't know the details, but they are likely not happy with ships that are in control of an AI. Using this vessel is an emergency, and given the circumstances, we will most likely get away with using this to stop the Asari. Concentrate on your work now, you're annoying!_" Teana replied and shut off the connection.

"This is Solar Three. Movement of the support units confirmed. Unknown number. I am returning to the ship." Despite the fact that Nanoha and Fate were lovers, they still acted seriously in such situations. It was their pride as professionals.

"Good work, Solar Three. Awaiting your return." Nanoha closed the terminal. She had to do a good job as long as Hayate was on forced leave by Shamal. It was very rare that the chief medical officer relieved the captain of duty, but Shamal knew exactly what she was doing and it was rather pitiful when Hayate tried to argue about her condition with her.

"I confirm eighty-seven units. It's not much, but it's a start. I will use them now to increase the number of units. A few hundred should be enough. They will handle most of the repairs and remodeling. Acting Captain Takamachi, please have…how shall I address Fate?" Reinforce was unsure of what kind of rank everyone held.

"Use her code while we conduct a operation, ALIAS Reinforce." Nanoha smiled and turned towards the other two. "Solar Four, Subaru Nakajima, Solar Five, Teana Lanster, continue with your work until ALIAS Reinforce gives clearance."

Everyone replied at once. "Understood."

It took over three hours to finally amass a satisfying number of support units. Hayate was still confined to her quarters, and Fate had gone out with Vita several times to check on things Reinforce was unable to check with the current equipment. Shamal took over the kitchen. Even faithful soldiers had to eat. There was enough food for now, but it wouldn't hurt to salvage some from the ships, which Nanoha had asked Vita and Fate to do before they went for their fourth trip.

Currently, both Fate and Vita were working on demolishing the parts around the dreadnought generator. It was much bigger and much more advanced than the current one, so they had to remodel the entire lower deck. Reinforce had sealed off the lower deck and opened an airtight port on the middle decks for Vita and Fate to return.

Teana was busy helping out Reinforce with the installment of the new sensory equipment. Once it was online, they could contact headquarters and report back.

"_White Devil,_ this is Levitas Two. We successfully removed the generator. We're running low on magic energy and returning to the ship," Vita reported back. She and Fate were the most suited for these things anyway. Bardiche in Zamber form and Graf Eisen were perfect for cutting and breaking the generator free.

"Captain Nanoha, the remaining work will be done by the support units," Reinforce reported and saluted. She had seen Teana do it, and even though her basic programming didn't include these things, she quickly adapted to her surroundings.

"Remove us from the debris field after you secured the generator." Nanoha issued her last order for now and took a deep breath. Ordering people around on an actual mission was completely different compared to combat training. It was a little bit tiring.

Fate entered the bridge, followed by Vita. Both of them were exhausted and hungry. "I heard Shamal is cooking something up with the stuff we brought back. Is it done yet?" Vita asked, changing back from her knight armor into her uniform.

As if on command, a terminal opened up before Nanoha. "Captain, dinner is finished. I'd like to call everyone to the lounge," Shamal reported. It was easy to see the steam from the hot food rising behind her.

"Perfect timing. As soon as we secure the generator and get out of the danger zone, we can eat." Nanoha looked up. "Reinforce, give me a estimated time when we will be in safe space."

The ALIAS seemed to think for a few seconds. "We can go anytime now. The generator is safely docked in the vacuum in the hangar."

Nanoha nodded and gave Shamal her okay. Everyone watched as Reinforce, with the help of Teana and Subaru, navigated the ship out of the debris field. They hadn't had a warm meal in some time now. Everyone suddenly realized just how hungry they were.

Finally back in safe space, everyone seemed to relax. Not all of them liked the formal addressing and ID codes assigned to them. Everyone turned to move to the lounge when Nanoha noticed that Reinforce wasn't moving.

"Reinforce, don't you have to eat too?" Nanoha stayed behind with Fate after everyone else left.

"I can take in food, but it is not a necessity for me." Reinforce wasn't sure what else to answer.

"You're part of this ship and the crew. I want you to eat with us." Nanoha extended her hand, waiting for the ALIAS to take it. She didn't want one of them alienated from the others. It would improve her relations with the Wolkenritter as well.

Reinforce happily agreed and followed after Nanoha and Fate. The lounge was packed when they finally got there. To Nanoha's surprise, Zafira was in human form. She took the chair at the end of the table. Reinforce sat to the right of Nanoha and Fate to the left. Finally, Shamal brought the food to the table.

The space where Subaru and Vita were sitting quickly became a danger zone. Both of them tried to grab the most of the menu. It was mostly noodles with sauces, fried vegetables, and some fish. There was no meat, but that was not surprising.

Nobody seemed to mind or dislike the fact that Nanoha had brought Reinforce with her. The much smaller Rein even came over and greeted the ship avatar. There was not much talking at this point beside the occasional chatter. Most of it was between Teana and Hayate, one telling the other everything that had happened.

Shamal finally gave in and let Hayate take over command after dinner. She didn't seem to be unstable any longer.

Signum and Zafira were the quietest out of the lot. Vita and Subaru continued to fight over every dish until Signum gave both of them a deadly glare. She liked her meals quiet and peaceful, not in the middle of a war zone.

It was an uneventful dinner. But everyone was happy to fill their stomachs for the first time in two days. After everything was finished, Vita and Subaru, the troublemakers, were drafted to wash the dishes. Both started to sulk immediately, earning laughs from everyone, especially Hayate and Teana.

"I'm going to the bridge. Reinforce, Nanoha, Fate, come with me," Hayate said. Teana had already explained to her that they had stronger sensory equipment now and could call headquarters.

The little delegation of four made their way to the bridge. Hayate seemed to enjoy being back in command. A little too much, maybe. She ordered Reinforce to always address her as Hayate.

"Setting dimensional coordinates for transmission now." The TSAB headquarters were in the center of the galaxy, the space-time sea. It was a tremendous distance, but with the new equipment, it should be possible to reach them. Mid-Childa was closer than the headquarters, but they had to report directly to a general.

"Hayate, I am not getting a response. There doesn't seem to be a receiver at the coordinates you've given me," Reinforce reported and tried again. But there was nothing. Only static noise.

"That's weird…change the coordinates for Mid-Childa. We're calling the ground forces headquarters." Hayate gave her the new coordinates. Nanoha and Fate quietly watched. They were just there because they were her direct second-in-commands. Hayate would do the talking unless headquarters asked them directly.

"Response received. Opening a channel. Hayate, your ID please." Reinforce had no problems establishing a connection to Mid-Childa. Maybe there was jamming in the place of the original coordinates.

Hayate opened up a small terminal and entered her personal security and identification code. A voice answered a few seconds after she had finished the input. "_Brigadier General Yagami Hayate, ATNF, confirmed. Opening secure channel._"

They never expected the person who answered their call. On the main terminal screen was Admiral Chrono Harlaown, Fate's adoptive brother.

"Thank God you're alive, Hayate. We've been through hell since yesterday." He completely ignored all formalities. As he looked behind Hayate, he seemed to be even more relieved. "Is everyone from the ATNF alive?"

"Yes. Chrono, what's going on? Why are you at the ground forces headquarters?" Hayate was confused. It was odd for an admiral to just be there, and much more so right now. And for him to answer this transmission…

"This is the TSAB headquarters now. The fortress in the time-space sea was completely devastated. We had causalities in the thousands. We lost a big part of our fleet, too." Chrono seemed rather composed despite the odds. Well, he _was_ one of the highest-ranking officers in the whole TSAB.

The image switched and showed a debris field many times the size of the ship graveyard they had just left. "This is the current location of the previous TSAB headquarters. They hit us with everything they could."

The images changed again. It was a recording. It showed the TSAB in its normal state. With an enormous flash of light, one side of the fortress was blown away, like a miniature big bang.

"We were unprepared against this sudden attack. They destroyed everything. It wasn't just the Asari. There were thousands of people attacking us, all of them completely unknown to us. But their power was at least comparable to a B-rank mage. But that wasn't the worst part."

Hayate watched the catastrophe unfold with wide, shocked eyes. How much destruction could they bring down upon humanity in so little time? How did they learn all of this?

The image changed. Fate recognized the place, while Nanoha and Hayate did not. "The dimensional prison, Glaifhir," the blond woman whispered.

"This is the dimensional prison Glaifhir. The TSAB imprisons its most dangerous criminals here. Our old friend Jail Scaglietti was there as well." Fate twitched and gritted her teeth when Chrono mentioned the mad scientist.

"The prison was attacked, and you can imagine that the stationed fleet and guards were no match for them. We don't know if there are any survivors among the prisoners. We don't know either if there are any causalities. They are simply gone. All the guards and people there. There is nothing left there. It's completely empty space. As if the space there just stopped existing."

Everyone was watching, unable to say a single word. Chrono appeared back on the screen. "There's barely anyone left with the authority to give you new orders, Hayate. I won't tell you what to do. If you think you can do something, you are free to do so. But do not run into unnecessary danger."

Hayate finally got back to reality and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Chrono, what is going to happen to this galaxy?"

Chrono waited a moment, closed his eyes and seemed to collect his thoughts. He would not lie to them. It was no use to lie at this point, anyway. The TSAB was almost finished.

"If the Asari are not somehow stopped, we are facing a new era, a time where they will reign over this galaxy as the absolute rulers. In a world where strength means power. A true nightmare. A dark era of destruction."

=== End of Mission Three ===


	4. Breakdown

A/N: I am really in dire need of an editor for this story. Since I am terrible at juding my own stuff, there will be some 'odd' things in the story until I get an editor. You only need to have a good knowledge of the Nanoha-verse, an Email address ( and maybe MSN ) as well as speaking an decent english.

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission Four ===

**Breakdown**

"Hear my words, humans! Your defiance is futile. We have proven to you that we are capable of destroying entire planets with ease, yet many of you still wish to defy and fight us. But we are not as evil as to hold a grudge against all of you because of individual humans' actions. No, we are as benevolent as to happily welcome all those who decide not to throw their lives away. The choice is yours. You can have immortality, enormous power, and your old life back as soon as we have executed our revenge on the fools who feared me so much that they imprisoned me in this dimension. I shall be your aide and you shall be rewarded handsomely for fighting for me! It is well within my power to reconstruct this or any other realm of existence as I see fit as soon as I lifted the Holy City from the lower dimensional space sea. I can create a world just as the one you left behind. I can create your homes, long-lost loves and family, even those who perished by foolishly fighting us!"

The video images changed and showed a gigantic space fleet and an artificial asteroid. The Assyrian army. The numbers were already in the hundreds of millions. It was beyond anything people could hope to withstand.

"The wise ones are those who have already decided to follow us! Soon, we shall have a hold on the sacred castle, and then nothing will stand in our way! Make your decision, humans. Follow me and live in the light…"

The face of the Assyrian leader changed from inviting to hard and cold.

"Defy us, and you will perish."

The video ended. It was just one of many videos that had been streamed across the galaxy in the past few days. Nanoha and company had stayed at the scene of the destroyed fleet since then. Nanoha and Fate's desired to get to Mid-Childa as soon as possible, but Hayate had decided against it. If the planet was still intact, it was unlikely that the Asari saw it as threatening. And it might not be the wisest idea to show up there.

Hayate knew that Nanoha and Fate were worried sick about Vivio. But Hayate had sent Chrono a message asking for footage and words from the child to calm down her two officers. Mid-Childa was a much safer place than the ship.

Hayate had also modified her room a bit to fit in a desk the group had salvaged from one of the destroyed ships. There were several virtual screens and documents on it that she was using as she tried to get a hold of the situation. Chrono was one of the three highest-ranking officers in the whole TSAB now, and that put her, as brigadier general, not too far apart from him.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Enter."

It was Signum and Fate. It seemed odd that Nanoha was missing.

"Is something wrong?" Given the situation they were in, it was natural to anticipate something bad, or at least odd.

"Not directly," Signum answered. "Testarossa and I came to the conclusion that we're lacking people. Teana is doing the best she can, but we don't have a technician on board. I've no doubt that the ship will take damage if we go up against the enemy. Besides that, I heard from Testarossa that their leader took a Lost Logia magic-filled Starlight Breaker at point-blank range and didn't even twitch. I'd like a device technician as well to do some upgrades. Testarossa?"

That was Fate's cue to continue where Signum had left off. "I talked to Mariel Atenza a few days before we were drafted for this mission. She has a job at ground forces HQ―research on a new form of device technology. It's highly likely they have neither the resources nor the time to have her develop any new devices right now. If we make it to Mid-Childa, we should pick her up."

Hayate grinned. It was all an elaborate plan and reason to go to Mid-Childa to see Vivio. Fate and Nanoha really loved her a lot. "I understand your point. A device master and a technician would be useful indeed. I would prefer to take Shari as well, but Mary is a excellent choice. I just hope they're both okay."

Hayate knew both of them, although Nanoha and Fate knew Shari a lot better than she did.

"I will send Chrono a message. If they are there and willing to come aboard the _White Devil_, we will take course to Mid-Childa. Until then, we will remain here. How are the ship modifications going?" Hayate was curious. Shamal didn't allow Hayate to leave her room much, and if she caught her working, Hayate would be in deep trouble too.

"I have long lost oversight of what Reinforce is doing. I found half the lower sector barred this morning. The whole ship seems to be reconstructing itself under the command of our ALIAS. I kind of understand now why the TSAB banned the usage of these vessels. They have their own mind and do not need orders. The ship could mutiny on the crew any time."

Signum was not too happy about this―the ship became more imposing every day. They had long passed the size of a cruiser-class warship. That the ALIAS included a room for training got her some plus points with Signum, however.

"Reinforce won't do that. Just in case, though, I have Rein and Agito watching her. They need to learn how to get along." Hayate wanted to explore the possibilities of the dual unison further, but she would not get approval from Shamal if Agito's and Rein's relation didn't improve.

One of the screens on Hayate's desk started to blink. It was a video transmission. Chrono had gotten her message and had gotten Vivio to record a short video.

=== Limitless ===

Rein and Agito were sitting on the shoulders of the ALIAS, both staring in separate directions and not saying a word. They had gotten into a fight again. Agito felt bad about it since she was at fault for not thinking before she'd opened her mouth, but she was too proud to admit it.

Reinforce was busy controlling the support units that were working on reconstructing the lower decks and had no time to pay attention to the two mini-girls on her shoulders. She was a little stressed because they had been following her all day and getting constantly into arguments about the stupidest things.

They were at a point where they would probably sulk for the rest of the day. Reinforce was patient but this was a little too much for her. "If you two continue to sit there in silence and refuse to talk to each other, I am going to throw you in space."

She would never actually do that, but she knew about Hayate and the problems of the dual unison she attempted on this ship. Reinforce wanted to help the two girls get along.

"Agito, you were at fault there, so apologize. Rein, you get angry at her too easily." Reinforce leaned over, causing the two devices to fall off. They rotated in mid-air before quietly floating upwards.

Agito knew that she was right, but she was still annoyed. Why did _she_ have to apologize…she had been _right_. Well, maybe she could have worded it a little differently…

"I'm sorry." Agito exhausted her self-control just from saying those two words. But Rein seemed to stop sulking and ignoring her.

"Reinforce is right, I got a little too angry about that."

Rein had compared herself with the original Reinforce and wondered if she would look like her if she ever reached the same size as her original model. Agito had commented that Rein would still be flat regardless of her size.

Reinforce opened up two terminals in front of them. "Help me with the calculations for the new ship exterior. I am already pushed maintaining the control over all these support units."

Rein and Agito moaned at the sheer sight of all the calculations Reinforce had left them with. They looked at each other and smiled awkwardly. Maybe they could get along just a tiny little bit better now.

"Say, Rein…doesn't it bother you to see her walking around? Hayate seems to pay a lot attention to her as well," Agito said while inputting almost-endless amounts of data. Rein was much better at this job than she was.

"Not really. I am happy for Hayate. She suffered quite a bit when the original Reinforce died. I don't think she ever saw me as her replacement, though. I am me, and Reinforce is Reinforce. You got that wrong. That should be A{Fx/205[99^255A power]a-4=c²45}."

Rein floated over to Agito's terminal and did a quick edit on her data. "You'll get used to it. I made these errors all the time when I started doing calculations for Hayate. We once almost accidentally blew up a lake." Rein grinned sheepishly and got back to her own data.

"Well, you two _do_ have a lot of power. It was really hard to manage her energy, even for that little time." Agito still preferred to have Signum as partner, but it was almost frightening how powerful Hayate got with both of them in dual unison.

"I don't think the people who made us ever thought that someone would try to go into unison with two devices at once." Agito made another error and corrected it quickly before Rein saw it.

"But it was completely different from our usual unison. I help Hayate manage calculations on aiming, power, and those sorts of things. If we can split these tasks up and have your boost ability on top of that, Hayate should become even more powerful." Rein only saw now how far down the calculations went and sighed. This would take a long time.

Agito wondered if that was a compliment or simply a statement. Rein wasn't that bad after all. Signum always told her to get along better with Rein, but Agito just wasn't the type to get along well with her. Up until now that hadn't been much of a problem, but…

"I wonder if it's really necessary to manage this dual unison thing. Aren't you and Hayate plenty powerful as you are?" Agito asked. It was worth a try.

"Hayate has a lot of power, but…their leader took Nanoha's limit break straight to the face and it did nothing. We need to consider all options." Rein sped up her typing a bit. Otherwise she would never get done.

Agito found Rein to be different from usual. Pleasantly different. A serious and focused Rein was much more acceptable. Though, they were still far from "getting along well" as Shamal described the minimum requirement to start testing the dual unison. How exactly were they supposed to get along all of a sudden? Come to think of it, though, this wasn't anywhere as bad as Agito thought it would be. Was Rein acting more serious because she knew about Agito's disliking the cute behavior?

Agito said nothing more and kept working in silence. Over half an hour passed and she started to get a headache. How was Rein able to work at easily twice her speed and keep up? It was madness. She wanted a break…but Agito didn't want to lose to Rein. She got back to work.

Another thirty minutes passed. Reinforce had barely moved the whole time, concentrating on controlling the support units and everything else on the ship.

"Reinforce, we're going to take a break," Rein said and left the terminal, floating once in front of the ALIAS and back to Agito. The woman simply nodded and continued her work.

"I could have continued. I'm not tired," Agito blatantly lied and tried to hide that she had a raging headache.

"Good, then we'll have more of this. But I wanted a break." Rein lied as well. She could have continued, but Agito was pushing herself and Rein was being considerate.

As they floated next to each other in silence, they slowly made their way to the cafeteria on the middle deck. The ship was constantly changing form. Rein discovered a few new doors and rooms on her way and was trying to imagine just how big the ship had gotten over the last seventy-two hours. Reinforce had been working nonstop and was a real assimilation monster.

It made sense that the TSAB prohibited technology that could do something like this. There seemed to be no end to how much the ship could expand.

They saw Teana and Subaru, tired out and covered in bruises, walking in direction of Shamal's office. Rein sped up temporarily and caught their attention. "Teana, Subaru, what happened to you two?"

"Hi Rein. Well, you see…" Subaru started awkwardly.

"Sparring match against Vita and Zafira. We used the new magic-proof training room that Reinforce constructed. It's not very big, but it's enough for four people to have a close-combat sparring match," Teana explained and gave herself an honest look. "Needless to say, Vita and Zafira are close-combat specialists as you can see and know."

Rein laughed and Subaru let her head hang.

Agito caught up with them and the two girls greeted her as well. "Rein, let's grab something to eat." Agito didn't like that Rein's newfound interest seemed to be diverted to Nanoha's subordinates all of sudden.

"See you two later." Rein waved and watched the two girls leave, then waited for Agito to move up. They had been lucky. Yesterday, Reinforce had detected a support vessel wreck carrying a lot of supplies. It could be called luck in the face of peril. They plundered the vessel, or rather Fate, Nanoha, Vita with Rein as unison and Signum with Agito as unison, did.

They had found that Reinforce had planned ahead of time and expanded the existing storage room for food and the supply hangar. At times, her logic and knack for foreseeing things worried Rein a little.

"I wonder if the ship is at destroyer size yet," Agito said out loud and continued to be just as amazed as Rein at how much the ship had changed from its initial looks.

"I don't think anyone except Reinforce knows just how big the ship has gotten already since the last time we went out." Rein had gotten pretty much used to calling the ALIAS Reinforce and getting called Rein by everyone else. She didn't mind, even though her full name was Reinforce Zwei.

"I'm surprised how well you cope with the ALIAS looking just like your original. I would be bothered by it, I think." Agito could imagine pretty well what she would look like in adult mode, but she lacked the power and technology. Rein simply lacked the power. Agito was a little envious.

"She seems, from what the others tell me, a lot like the original Reinforce. I never got to meet her, so I am a little happy too. And everyone doesn't treat me any different than usually, so I'm really fine with it." Rein didn't say it, because she knew how Agito would react, but she was a little happy too that the other unison device actually cared enough to ask.

They had finally reached the cafeteria and found everyone from the Wolkenritter except Shamal there. Apparently, Signum was cooking something and Vita and Zafira were her test subjects. Agito was visibly happy to see her original partner and floated over to her.

Rein landed on Vita's shoulder, who seemed to be focusing on not passing out from hunger. "Vita-chan, I heard you and Zafira had a match against Subaru and Teana. How were they?" Rein knew that it was the first sparring match in a long time, ever since the girls made it to single S rank.

"They still have a long way to go. They are much better than before, but Subaru is still lacking in defense and Teana is really anything but suited to close combat. But they gave us a hard time, despite all that," Vita said and looked in Signum's direction, voicing her demand. "Isn't the food ready yet, Signum? I am starving!"

Zafira (he was oddly enough in his human form a lot lately) was sitting across the table and waiting quietly for the pink-haired knight to finish her cooking. Said knight seemed a little busy dealing with Agito at the moment.

Rein was about to fly over and ask what Signum was cooking when the lights went out for a second and turned red. The internal alarm started ringing. Terminals in every room popped up, all with Reinforce's face on them.

"A dreadnought-class warship is heading towards us. It is moving at thirty SY per hour and will reach us in thirty minutes. The sensors did not pick it up earlier because of the interference from the other ships. I believe they have not discovered us yet."

Rein looked at her fellow Wolkenritter and they all headed out, leaving everything as it was. Rein made her way to Hayate's room where she found Nanoha and Fate as well.

Hayate was already giving orders to Reinforce. "Find out the origin of the unknown vessel. Make a scan for weapons and life signs. Put all our weapons on standby." Turning to Fate, she issued her orders as well. "Solar Three, head to the bridge and assume direct control of the ship's navigational system and calculate an escape and attack route." And finally to Nanoha. "Solar Two, head to the first weapon platform and standby in Exceed Mode. If code I is issued, attack the enemy vessel's engine or bridge with full power."

"Understood!" Both of them saluted and left running. They were military elite after all, Rein thought.

Hayate saw Rein but didn't say anything and instead opened several terminals. First was orders to the Wolkenritter, who were already standing by in the hangar.

"Levitas Unit, you are to remain on standby in knight armor. If Code D is given, you are to deal with any intruders. Levitas Four, you are to remain on the ship in any case and defend the hangar. Levitas One and Two, when Code I is issued, head out and infiltrate the enemy vessel. You have free control and judgment over the situation and whether you will use lethal force or not. If the enemy belongs to the Assyrian fleet, the use of lethal force is authorized and recommended, even if the enemies were formerly human."

Hayate was a capable commander and knew well how to divide her forces. "Solar Four, head to the hangar and join up with Levitas. Your orders are to remain with Levitas Four on the ship and deal with any intruders. Any intruding forces are to be met with lethal force and no mercy."

Rein could see Subaru salute on the other end of the screen and head off. All were already in barrier jackets.

"Solar Five, head to the second weapon platform and assume control of the ion cannon. When Code I is issued, fire at will and own judgment."

Hayate closed all the terminals, grabbed Schwertkreuz and the Tome of the Night Sky and looked at Rein. "Agito will be with Signum for the time being. Rein, I'll need you if it comes to a fight of ship versus ship."

The small unison device gave a quick nod and went into unison with her master. The color of her knight armor changed and the captain of the ship was heading to the bridge where Fate and Reinforce were already waiting.

"Origin of vessel confirmed―Mid-Childa, issued year 0071. Name of vessel is _Delirion_, under the command of Admiral Wesley Lion. There are over one thousand life signs on board and their weapons are activated. All ship-to-ship weapons are loaded. Solar Five is in control of the ion cannon and Solar Two is on stand-by at the first weapon platform," Reinforce reported and saluted. She was imitating what she had picked up on the ship's internal cameras.

"Fate, how are things on your end?" Hayate stood in the back of the room, near the main terminal, right next to Reinforce. Fate sat in one of the chairs at the front. The bridge had been largely remodeled by Reinforce in the last three days. Fate had already learned how to control the ship from the ALIAS.

"We cannot outrun them. They are faster than we are, and they can simply blast away any wrecks. We're outmatched in sheer firepower and manpower. Either they still haven't noticed us or are ignoring us. If we wait another ten minutes, we can ambush them from behind and possibly destroy their engines." Fate assumed that whoever came after them was already a force defected to the side of the enemy.

Hayate opened a communication channel that went shipwide. "This is your captain. Everyone is to assume that we will soon commence into battle. Our enemy outnumbers us one hundred to one. The enemy's ship is a dreadnought-class warship and probably filled with formerly Mid-Childan people. Do not treat them as such. They have defected to the Asari and are now our enemy!" Hayate finished and then thought about her next course of action. If these people were looking for survivors, then…

"Reinforce, are they sending any kind of emergency signal or distress code?"

"There is nothing of the sort. The ship is most likely on its way to the dimensional prison that was destroyed. Objective unknown," Reinforce stated.

"I conclude they are a force of the Asari and are on their way to destroy the assumed still-functioning dimensional prison to avoid a repeat of what happened to them in the past. Clever. All stations! We will commence into battle in seven point four minutes. We will attack their ship from behind and destroy their engines, then dock our own hangar at theirs and infiltrate. Levitas Unit, you are to head out and invade the enemy vessel. Solar Two, you are to use anti-ship magic artillery on the ship's weapons and join up with Levitas once your have destroyed them all. Solar Three, you are to accompany Levitas once we have successfully entered the range of the enemy vessel. Solar Five, continuously attack the enemy vessel until the energy of the ion cannon is depleted, then move to the hangar and join with Levitas Four and Solar Four to defend the area. Solar Four and Levitas Four, prepare for an overwhelming incoming."

Hayate tried to decide whether it was wise to head out herself as well, or join Nanoha on the weapon platform. Her choice was taken from her when Shamal opened up a terminal and talked to her. "Hayate, you are in no condition to join the assault on the enemy vessel right now. I want you to remain on the bridge and issue orders. You are the captain, after all. If push comes to shove, I permit you three double S-rank spells to attack the enemy vessel. Any more would probably put your total recovery in danger."

Hayate complied with her chief medical officer's wish and nodded.

"Three point two until attack!" Hayate shouted and everyone got ready.

Nanoha was no longer hesitant about using lethal force against others. If they went easy on the Asari forces, things would not end well for them. Their ship was more powerful than a cruiser, maybe even in a destroyer class, but a dreadnought was much more powerful than a destroyer.

The seconds seemed to stretch to minutes and hours. Nanoha decided that it would be best to guarantee that she took out the enemy's engines in a single blow. "Raising Heart, Blaster Two."

That was more than enough to destroy the engines of a dreadnought-class warship. There was not enough resident magic energy to use a Starlight Breaker, so…

"Set up for Triple Divine Buster. Focus target aim on single coordinate." One minute remaining. Nanoha could see the gigantic ship passing by right next to them. It was easily three or four times the size of the _White Devil_.

"Load cartridge!" Nanoha wasn't going to pull any punches and loaded the full set of nine cartridges. If possible, she wanted to destroy the part of the ship right around the engines as well. It would severely diminish the enemy vessel's capabilities.

"_Divine…_" Nanoha's magic circle appeared right outside the weapon platform. It was one major circle accompanied by two smaller ones, through Blaster Two.

The platform was designed to relocate any magic energy right outside it to allow ship-to-ship fire by a mage. It was a custom technology of the TSAB. Thank God it was present here as well.

Hayate issued the order. "_Fire!_"

"_Buster!_" Nanoha fired and three enormous pink beams rapidly shot through space and joined together into one brutal spell. It was a matter of maybe three seconds until the spell reached the enemy vessel and impacted with tremendous power. The ship's rear burst apart and the engines exploded with such force that the ship was thrown off-course to negative coordinates. Nanoha adjusted her aim and prepared for the next blow. She had already spotted the major weapon platforms. They were bound to utilize the same tactics she had, but she wouldn't let them.

"Raising Heart, remain on Blaster Two, prepare for Starlight Breaker with blaster support." Nanoha alone could only gather so much magic energy while casting Starlight Breaker, but the blaster system had been upgraded to be able to gather resident magic energy as well. And she had just fired a Triple Divine Buster and caused the engine of a dreadnought ship to explode. There was much more resident magic energy now than she could collect.

Another, much bigger, pink magic circle appeared outside the weapon platform. "_Target coordinates zero, eight, zero, four, eighty-seven, eighty-four_," Raising Heart said and adjusted Nanoha's aim. The mage could feel the enormous magic energy that had gathered after just a few seconds.

"_Starlight…_"

Nanoha could see that Teana had opened rapid fire on the enemy vessel. An ion cannon was a weapon banned by law of the TSAB because it was using a dangerous compression of particles that could cause extreme damage to anything.

The magic had finished gathering and Nanoha had reached a maximum of power. If she wanted any more than this, she needed Blaster Three or more cartridges. Targeting the rear weapons, she felt the ship moving. Fate must be preparing to dock.

"_Breaker!_" It was too late to adjust her aim. The magic beam shot straight at the enemy vessel, crashed into the hull, and pierced its way through. Nanoha had learned a trick or two in the last few years and right in the middle of the spell she shouted, "_Burst!_"

Raising Heart confirmed by saying, "_SLB Burst enabled._"

From the same magic circle that had shot the bombardment spell, a small ball, maybe a meter in diameter, formed and shot at the existing beam with unbelievable speed. It mixed into the Starlight Breaker, and a few seconds later the interior of the ship's main weapon deck exploded with the force of a nuclear explosion. It was a very dangerous act to detonate a bombardment spell in the middle of causing damage, but the results were very helpful in this moment.

"Raising Heart, target the lower weapon deck!" The enemy vessel was opening fire but a huge blue-white shield was protecting the _White Devil_. Reinforce had successfully repaired the shield generator they had salvaged.

The dreadnought was still moving and had started to turn when a gigantic white explosion ripped apart the most upper deck. Nanoha could see from where she was that Hayate had used a salve of Hraesvelgr to attack the enemy vessel. People were drifting into space along with a lot of debris. The enemy dreadnought had taken a lot of damage in less than two minutes.

A big shock went through the ship when it docked to the enemy vessel. Nanoha knew that it was impossible to use any more bombardment spells without endangering her own ship as well.

Terminals suddenly popped up everywhere on the ship. Hayate was giving new orders. "_Code I is hereby issued._"

Nanoha grabbed her staff and headed for the hangar. "Raising Heart, Exceed Mode." A blaster was overkill in person-to-person combat.

Signum and Vita had already advanced into the enemy vessel, Signum leading the way with Vita taking the rear.

They were surprised how powerful the troops on the vessel were. Scaled on power, the mages were at least about single S rank, but they were clumsy in using their power. It seemed that the promises of power the Asari had made were not just empty words. Even worse was the fact that knocking the mages out didn't work. They had to inflict lethal damage to the body. Some enemies continued to fight even after they lost arms.

"Laevatein,_ Bogenform!_" Signum switched modes and started to shoot at will into the enemy masses. Their progress was slow. Too slow. The enemy was getting more numerous by the moment.

Vita and Signum were completely surrounded in a matter of minutes. They were tough―too tough to be normal people.

Signum and Vita stood back to back, enemies all around them. There were at least forty of them and more kept coming.

"Vita, can you handle them?" Signum was still not too worried. They were tough and powerful but not very skilled. All power and endurance meant nothing if their blows didn't connect.

"No problem. Graf Eisen!" Vita pulled a mean face. This reminded her of the old days, serving under different masters and mistresses, collecting magic for the Book of Darkness. "Explosion! _Raketenform!_" The device signalized and changed shape.

Signum took this as her cue to get out of the way. Using levitation and escaping into mid-air, followed by a good deal of the enemies, Signum kept her device in bow form and continued to fire. A knight was not limited to simply cutting the enemy apart with a sword. Signum had learned that in a fight not too long ago.

Vita was crushing people's skulls and bones left and right, but she was racking up an impressive count of injuries while doing so, leaving herself wide open. Her knight armor protected her from the worst, but they still had single S-rank power.

There was a huge squadron coming right at Vita, who seemed a little over-strained. Signum was busy dealing with all those that were flying. Vita would have to deal with the ground forces herself.

There was an explosion in their own ship's hangar. Subaru had blasted a group of people with a Divine Buster. Most of them got back up and continued to fight. The girl was still not used to using lethal magic. Teana had less trouble with that, but she still didn't like it. She had to resort to aiming for their heads and hearts while using her full power. They took normal magic bullets like they were nothing.

"There are too many!" Subaru shouted, and broke the arms of an attacker with a brutal kick. She felt terrible killing other people, but they were coming at her going for the kill. Subaru had already several bad cuts all over her arms and legs, and her forehead was completely red from a hit to the head.

There was a lot of noise from the hangar of the _White Devil_ when Signum saw a yellow flash of energy and the enemy mass clearing. Testarossa was there, finally.

An enormous pink beam that cut straight through the enemy forces in the dreadnought hangar signaled that almost the entire fighting force was here now.

"Agito, we're going to look for the leader." Signum aimed directly at the ceiling of the hangar and blasted a big hole into it, rapidly ascending. She changed Laevatein back to sword mode in the meantime and cut apart three enemy soldiers just as she emerged from the deck.

But things wouldn't be that easy. A massive beam attack, black and silver, hit her in the back and crashed her into the wall. Signum spat blood and nearly lost consciousness. It was extremely dangerous to fight against someone tough and powerful who _knew_ how to handle that power.

"Signum!" Agito yelled, and used a flame barrier around Signum, barely deflecting the second beam and the third. The corridor was filled with smoke when the enemy was taken out by a monstrous pink beam that annihilated half the floor and the enemy with it.

Nanoha surely wasn't holding back. Signum fell to her knees, coughed up some more blood, and got a hold of herself. This wasn't enough to stop her. Grabbing her device, she switched back to bow mode. It was too dangerous to fight these monsters in close combat.

Down in the hangar, a fierce battle going on. Two of the enemy aces had appeared—a muscular man with long black hair, and a woman with short blond hair and an eyepatch, wielding a huge spear. The former was fighting on even ground with Vita, blocking her attacks with his bare hands. The other one, the woman, was fighting a high-speed duel with Fate.

"You're weak, weak, too weak!" the blond woman shouted, and forced Fate to retreat. Fate had been using Bardiche in Zamber form, but that was too slow.

"Nanoha!" Fate didn't need to specify what exactly she needed.

Nanoha simply nodded and targeted the woman, firing an instantaneous Divine Buster at her, forcing her to move out of the way. It was a direct hit from that would leave nothing of a body behind. It meant total and instantaneous annihilation.

Fate divided the single two-hand Zamber blade into two Riot blades and jumped at the slightly surprised woman, who still kept up with Fate's speed. The two women took the battle to mid-air, where the woman's spear range was less useful. It was a game of dodging and finding an opening. Neither could block the attack of the other.

Fate took a quick dive when the woman attacked her with a wide swing, using the spear like a halberd. Rapidly ascending from below, Fate targeted the woman's dominant arm and used two horizontal slashes. The sound of flesh tearing apart filled Fate's ears when the woman blocked the attack by simply stomping on her blade. Half her leg was gone, but she didn't even twitch. These people felt absolutely no pain or fear.

Fate backed away, but not quickly enough. She got stabbed in the left shoulder by the spear. Gritting her teeth, Fate let herself fall to get some distance between them, then grinned when she saw something behind the woman. She moved out of the way in a rapid dive.

The woman heard a weird sound, like something growling, and felt her head separate from her body. Seconds later, she was dead. Zafira had taken on his wolf form and had bitten her neck in half. He had taken the fight to the enemy. They were so busy with Nanoha and Fate that none of them had even bothered to think about invading the ship anymore. Hayate and Shamal were still guarding the hangar in case anyone tried to attack.

"_Path of Thorns!_" Zafira growled and a large portion of the ground was pierced by large white spikes, impaling dozens of people. He descended back to ground and started to fight hand to hand with the enemy. They were physically hopeless against the wolf.

The back side of the hangar was completely destroyed. Vita and her enemy were fighting nose to nose there and neither was holding back. Nobody dared to approach them, and Nanoha was unable to get a clean hit on the enemy without hitting Vita as well.

The death toll of the enemy had reached a few hundred by now. Nanoha was unsure as to where Signum had gone but she had her hands full with the forces here. She had taken several hits to her back and was bleeding from both arms, but it wasn't enough to have taken her down.

Vita literally hammered away at the enemy, raging with fury. How could a mere human block Graf Eisen's attacks with his bare hands? His left hand had a big hole from holding up Graf Eisen in Raketenform, but besides that, he had not taken any injuries. Vita, on the other hand, was heavily injured.

She missed again and made another huge hole in the wall, which finally crumbled to pieces and caused a large dust cloud to emerge. The ground was so littered with dead bodies that it was impossible to fight there.

Vita's eyes widened when the enemy was suddenly right in front of her, out to hit her in the head. If the monster hit her, she was guaranteed dead! Vita turned her body in midair with the help of her device, but her left leg got hit. The girl screamed out in pain. The bones were broken, she could tell.

Vita overpowered the pain with willpower and grabbed the man's leg. He was so surprised that he let down his guard for a second.

"You're mine!" Vita said, and punched the man straight in the face, sending him crashing to the ground. But it still wasn't not enough to take that guy out.

"Graf Eisen, _Gigant Form!_" Vita shouted and the device changed mode and transformed from a smaller spiked hammer into a gigantic one. With all her power, Vita smashed away at the ground over a dozen times until blood stuck to the underside of her device. The man's smashed remains were among the dead enemies, and Vita showed a grin of victory.

Another explosion right behind her caught Vita's attention. Signum had finally shown up, fighting a bear of a man with sword of monstrous size. She was completely engulfed in flames, and Laevatein was wrapped around the man, cutting into his flesh.

Signum spotted her two comrades right away and called out to them. She was at her limit. Her left arm was broken, and Agito was exhausted. There were quite a lot of enemies on the way to the bridge. But she had successfully destroyed the bridge and killed most everyone on her way back to the hangar. That the captain was this though was unexpected.

Vita dashed right at the enemy, who was falling together with Signum, and hit his back with her hammer. The man's back bent in an awkward way and he started spitting large amounts of blood—but he was still alive. He grabbed Vita with his right hand, ignoring the deep cuts Laevatein's Schlangenform was making, and threw her at Signum with such power that Vita thought she was hit by a cannonball.

Signum and Vita had smashed into the wall when the man turned around and faced his imminent death. Nanoha was there, aiming straight at him, her barrier jacket soaked in her own and the enemies' blood.

"_Perish._"

She unleashed the full force of a Starlight Breaker. the man and more than two-thirds of the ceiling vanished in a pink explosion.

Nanoha breathed heavily. Shamal would have a field day with her later, but the enemy was still not retreating. Had they lost _all_ their reason after becoming Asari soldiers? Mad beasts…

Subaru, using Wing Road, stopped right next to her. "Commander Hayate ordered us to retreat. Solar Two and Three have orders to move to Weapon Platform Four and Five." Subaru didn't wait for a reply and went to relay the order to everyone else.

Fate had already retreated, and after getting emergency treatment from Shamal, she went to Weapon Platform Five, resting for just a few seconds. Nanoha watched Subaru carry off Vita, and a human Zafira carry Signum.

The enemy wasn't eager to let them retreat, so Nanoha decided to destroy the entire hangar after everyone had evacuated. She still had enough magical energy left to deploy an airtight barrier to move back to the _White Devil_.

There was a tremendous amount of magic in the air. Nanoha moved to the highest part of the big hangar, aiming directly at the ground. "Raising Heart, Blaster Three, Limiter One."

Nanoha had modified Blaster Mode Three to use different sets of limiters to prevent any permanent damage. Limiter One was still potentially dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as the original Blaster Mode.

"Blaster Three, Limiter One. Execution of Starlight Breaker Exceed in twenty-five seconds." Nanoha saw that Zafira and Subaru were still fighting, even after they had brought the injured Wolkenritter to a safe distance.

Blood ran in her eyes and mouth. If this…was the power of the people that were granted the power of the Asari, how unbelievably strong were the real deal?

"Subaru! Zafira! _Get out of here!_" Nanoha yelled. Right in front of her were five major magic circles, all collecting the resident magic energy. This would blow away the entire hangar easily. Nanoha would probably be caught in part of it, but she knew how much time she had to escape. It would barely be enough.

The other two saw what was coming and moved. Seconds after they got on board the _White Devil_, the ship detached itself from the enemy vessel and moved. They seemed to know what Nanoha was planning.

"_Starlight Breaker Exceed!_" Nanoha shouted, and unleashed the full power of her magic potential on the enemy. The beam moved much, much slower than a regular Starlight Breaker or Divine Buster. It was almost like it was in slow motion. This version could only be used at pinpoint range or against stationary objects. Deploying a full body barrier, Nanoha watched the spell move through the room, annihilating everything that got in its way. Maybe eight seconds until it hit the ground…

Concentrating completely on escaping, Nanoha barely managed to leave the dreadnought before her spell finally activated its devastating effect. The hangar, or what was left of it, shone in a bright pink light for a few seconds before the entire rear of the ship vanished in a gigantic pink blast. It was frightening just how much magic energy there had been.

Debris flew past Nanoha as the blast slowly began to catch up to her. She wouldn't make it…

It was Hayate and Fate's intuition and experience that saved her. Two gigantic beams impacted on the enemy vessel's side from the _White Devil_'s weapon platforms, causing the back part to break off and the blast to shift its direction.

Nanoha barely managed to get away. The lower portions of her shoes and barrier jacket skirt were burned by the explosion, but she was alive.

Nanoha reached the open hangar of the _White Devil_. The atmosphere was protected by an energy field, but it allowed humans to pass through. Barely inside, Nanoha dropped her barrier and had to lean on a wall to remain standing. That last spell had taken its toll on her.

Subaru showed up a few moments later to bring Nanoha to the medical office. Subaru was already wearing bandages over her arms, legs, and half her face. Her left eye had gotten injured.

"Seems nobody got away uninjured," Nanoha said while leaning onto her former subordinate.

"Zafira only has minor scratches. It's quite scary, considering that he went face to face with quite a few of them. Teana was always in the back, but she's so tired that she's already passed out. She used too many cartridges." Subaru kept quiet about how badly Vita and Signum were injured. Fate had had her shoulder impaled, too.

Nanoha's consciousness faded slowly away from exhaustion and blood loss.

=== Limitless ===

The new medical station was a lot bigger than the old one, thanks to Reinforce. It had space for twenty people. Nearly everyone, except Hayate, Teana, and Zafira, was there.

It was, so to speak, nighttime on board the _White Devil_. The enemy dreadnought had been destroyed, either by the enormous damage caused by Nanoha's Starlight Breaker or the combined force of that and Hayate's and Fate's efforts afterward.

Only Reinforce was awake. Occasionally Shamal woke up to look after the injured. Considering the strength of their enemy, they were lucky the group's injuries hadn't been worse.

The door slid open when Shamal was just about to fall back asleep after she had checked that everything was okay.

"Reinforce…" Shamal couldn't see very well in the darkness, and her tiredness didn't help matters. "And Rein," she added after seeing the little girl on the ALIAS's shoulder.

Reinforce quietly placed a cup that was emitting white steam in front of Shamal. It seemed to be some kind of tea.

"Thank you." Shamal gladly took the cup and immediately burned her tongue. "Ouch, hot."

"Is everyone okay?" Reinforce sat down on a chair next to Shamal's desk. Even the ALIAS was tired out after the battle. Mentally, at least.

"They will be in a while," Shamal answered. "Vita and Signum got hurt pretty badly, and Fate will not be able to properly use her left arm for a while. Nanoha…I don't know, she had a lot of wounds, but nothing too extreme. She was really tired out, though. Teana is even worse off in that aspect than Nanoha. She hasn't even woken up once, despite being fine physically. Zafira, Subaru, and Hayate are more or less okay. Subaru got hurt a bit, but nothing some bandages and a few days' rest won't cure. Hayate should rest for a bit and she'll be fine."

Shamal noticed that it was only when Hayate was mentioned that the expression of the ship avatar changed. Reinforce seemed to be really relieved that they were all getting better.

"I'm sorry I couldn't fight with you. I cannot leave the ship, and I am not designed for hand-to-hand combat. However, I learned from this experience, and will upgrade our weaponry," Reinforce replied. She seemed a little frustrated.

Shamal found it odd that the small Rein had been silent for so long. "Is something wrong, Rein?"

The small girl startled like someone had scared her and she looked around, only to notice that it was Shamal who had called her.

"Are you sleeping with open eyes?" Shamal found that quite amusing.

"She and Agito helped with a lot of the calculations needed for the ship's modifications. She did the parts that Agito wasn't able to do until just now. She insisted on checking on everyone afterward, but I guess it was a long day for her, too."

The adult Reinforce took the small Rein in her hand and put her on the pillow that Shamal had on her desk, where the girl almost instantly fell asleep.

"Rein and Agito have been getting along quite well today," Reinforce said. "I know about your demand that they improve their relationship with each other before you allow Hayate to run any tests on dual unison. I thought that the easiest way for them to get there would be to imitate Nanoha and Fate." The avatar looked in the direction of the small room that belonged to Nanoha and Fate.

"I don't think…well…it probably would, but… it's not that easy…" Shamal tried to explain and blushed furiously while doing so. Sure, that was one sure-fire way for them to get along, but for _that_ to happen in the first place…didn't they have to get along _really_ well? And that wasn't all that was needed…

Some noise came from Nanoha's room. Shamal knew very, very well what was going on there. Standing up, she excused herself for a moment, and Reinforce could hear Shamal shoving Nanoha back into bed.

"You two can be together as soon as your wounds are somewhat healed. You'll survive one night without your beloved Fate!"

Reinforce knew that Nanoha and Fate were a couple. She had disabled the internal cameras of the rooms when she had found out that those two were rather…

"I swear, I am almost willing to tie or chain her to the bed. She is in no condition to walk around, much less…for _that_." Shamal didn't want to get into any details, and Reinforce's expression made it clear that the avatar knew what Shamal meant.

Shamal sat back down and finally got to enjoy the tea, which was now somewhat drinkable. It warmed her up and as her expression relaxed, so did Reinforce.

"Thank you for the tea." Shamal made a small break. A little reluctantly, she looked straight at the avatar and decided to just tell her what she thought. "I don't mean this in a bad way, but we're all still getting used to seeing our old friend walking around and controlling a ship. Rein, Agito, Teana, and Subaru probably not so much, but the rest of us have some bad and good memories about the former you. Especially Hayate."

Reinforce didn't seem very surprised, but it was sometimes hard to tell what she was thinking.

"I'm grateful that you're all such nice people. Especially Hayate. She treats me just like a human. I don't think any other ALIAS has ever experienced something like this. I am already happy with how everyone treats me now. No one is really hostile against me. I found records in the ship's data bank about the previous ALIAS, and…" Reinforce didn't need to finish her sentence. Shamal could see that her life had probably not been very…enjoyable.

"I think we should do something about your clothes, though…" Shamal was always a little weirded out by the fact that an avatar was constantly wearing knight armor. "I don't think we'll find any out here that fit, though…" Shamal blatantly stared at the chest of the woman for a second, then, out of the corner of her eye, at the smaller Rein, and grinned.

"I enjoyed talking to you, Shamal, but I need to get back to work. I can't exactly do that in the medical ward." Reinforce smiled and tried to get away somehow. Rein had warned her beforehand that Shamal and Hayate had a bit of a fetish involving dressing people up.

"You should get some rest, too," Shamal said, and looked at her occupied pillow. She would just plunder one of the empty rooms and beds to get a new one.

"I will, when my work is done." Reinforce smiled softly and left the room.

Barely outside, the ALIAS stopped and looked at something on the ground.

"How is she?" Zafira was quietly resting in front of the door, in his wolf form.

"She seems fine, but tired. I didn't detect anything out of the ordinary," Reinforce said, and knelt down to pat Zafira's head. "I thought you were the odd one out of the group, being the only guy, but you do care for your friends a lot."

Zafira simply tolerated it. People had done this plenty in the past. He calmly answered, "Of course I care for my fellow knights and friends. It's my responsibility as a guardian knight."

"I think I was wrong about you. You look scary on the outside, but you're really not." Reinforce smiled and stood back up. She slowly walked away while looking back at the reassuring view of Zafira guarding the door.

"Scary? Do I really look scary?" Zafira said in a low voice, and closed his eyes. "Maybe I should get a haircut or something…"

The night on board the _White Devil_ continued with everyone resting after the sudden battle. Reinforce quietly watched over her new crew in silence. The ship, on the other hand, was as busy as ever, constantly changing and expanding. The ALIAS felt a little worn out, but she didn't want to disappoint anyone else.

"I'll prove that I'm worthy of being a part of this crew…"

=== Limitless ===

Five days passed since the battle with the dreadnought. Nanoha and Fate were pushing to go to Mid-Childa, but Hayate refused. Vita and Signum were still in the medical ward and Nanoha and Fate were in no condition to fight either. The ship had gotten so big that people occasionally got lost and had to use the ship's internal map that Reinforce had designed to find their quarters. It had surpassed a destroyer-class warship in size and could easily have housed a crew of its own.

Rein and Agito spent most of their time together, helping out Reinforce with the ship's reconstruction. The final plan was to create a ship roughly of destroyer-class size that could outrun a dreadnought and yet fight on even ground with it.

Chrono and Hayate had exchanged messages a few times. Things in Mid-Childa were both good and bad. Most of the planet's population was staying. Only about fifty thousand people had taken off to join the Asari. The bad news was that Mid-Childa was almost under siege. No space travel in and out allowed. The Assyrian main fleet was stationed in orbit around the planet, just in case there was a rebellion on the planet's surface. The remaining population was safe, guaranteed by the Asari leader herself, but they were prisoners on their own planet.

"How big do you estimate the fleet is, Chrono?" Hayate was having a live conversation with Chrono. Nanoha and Fate were there as well.

"We at ground forces headquarters know a fair deal about them. Their numbers must be high in the millions. The last estimate was over seventy million people, but that was two days ago. Ships are arriving every hour. Most of the galaxy has decided to follow them. We have exact numbers of their main fleet, and I'm sure you won't like to hear them." Chrono pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from his desk.

"Nine dreadnought warships, eighty-seven destroyer warships, and an unknown number of cruisers—estimated between two-hundred-sixty and two-hundred-eighty in total. They also have an asteroid to house their troops." He put the sheet back.

Hayate was speechless. How in the world could they fight a force as enormous as that? The TSAB fleet had been either converted or destroyed, and there was no independent armed force capable of replacing them. Fate and Nanoha, however, seemed both relieved that everyone on Mid-Childa was safe and worried that the Asari fleet was stationed right above them.

"Hayate. Don't come to Mid-Childa. This will be the last communication between us for a while. The Asari demanded the disbandment of the TSAB ground forces. You and your subordinates are already listed as wanted criminals under their rule. There is a bounty of ten million credits on your head alone, Hayate." Chrono picked up a little device that resembled a cube. It opened up and displayed images of Hayate, Nanoha, Fate, and every other crew member. All of them were wanted, dead or alive.

"I think they didn't like you taking out their dreadnought ship. There are even rumors that one of the Asari is hunting you. Watch out for yourself, Hayate. Nanoha. Fate. I'll contact you again when it's safe." Chrono seemed to be in a hurry all of a sudden. He got up and switched the transmission visuals off, but left the sound on.

Only a few seconds afterward, it became very obvious why. The three women in the room suddenly heard people yelling and shouting, followed by the sound of something crashing to the ground.

"_Chrono Harlaown, former admiral of the TSAB forces, you are under arrest for suspected contacting and aiding wanted persons._" It was a completely unknown voice.

The transmission was forcefully terminated.

"It's like they're the new government already…" Hayate closed the terminal and turned around to face her no-less-overwhelmed subordinates. The three silently exchanged looks. After being together for so long, they understood what the other one was thinking.

"We will infiltrate Mid-Childa."

Nanoha seemed oddly happy about it. Fate, despite having her worries, was also relieved that they would finally get to see Vivio. But there were a number of problems involved with this plan.

"We're wanted people now. How are we going to get there unnoticed? I…I don't think…" Nanoha looked at the palms of her hands. She remembered the exact moment she had fired her Starlight Breaker at the leader of the Asari. It was like throwing rocks at a tank.

"No, I _know_ I won't be able to beat her. I hate to say it, but we cannot fight them face to face. I'm…afraid." Nanoha took Fate's hand, looking for some bit of security.

Hayate fell silent for a moment, then opened a communication channel with Reinforce. "Reinforce, relay this message to the entire ship, please." Hayate could hear Rein and Agito in the background. Those three were always hard at work.

"_Understood._" Reinforce switched to shipwide relay mode and waited for Hayate to begin her speech.

"This is your captain. Everyone, assemble in the briefing room at four-thirty exactly. That is an order." Hayate relayed her short order and sat back down. They had to do something. Staying around and building their ship was okay, but they had to act now, before the fleet at Mid-Childa became too big.

"Please give me some time alone, you two. I'm sure you have your own things to talk about for now." Hayate leaned on her desk and covered her eyes with her hand. She was tired of bad news already. This had to stop.

Nanoha and Fate said nothing. They simply left. They could see that Hayate was really tired of all of this. They were too.

Barely outside the room, Nanoha opened a communication channel with Reinforce. "Please don't let anyone in to see Hayate. Let her rest." Nanoha was still second-in-command, so Reinforce acknowledged her request without question.

"We're all tired of war…" Nanoha remembered the incident with Jail Scaglietti. Then it was the Saint Cradle, and then Meteora. And now something that was so far removed from anything they could handle that it was ridiculous. These weren't even impossible odds anymore.

"Nanoha…we'll get Vivio out of there and then find a way to stop them. We've always found a way before. I'm with you, and so is everyone else." Fate hugged Nanoha, who let herself go. She closed her eyes and shared her worries with her partner.

"There was never an enemy I couldn't handle, Fate. But them…it didn't even _scratch_ them. I have the power to destroy buildings and whole areas, even small spaceships, and I didn't even scratch them! And now they're taking away my new home. They're taking away Vivio and so many of our friends. I…I don't even know how many of them are still alive. Hayate said that they aren't able to make any lists because everything from the headquarters is lost. I don't even know what I should do anymore! In the last battle, I fought with all I had and still…we barely won." Nanoha had tears in her eyes. Her self-esteem had never taken a blow like this before.

Fate gently rubbed Nanoha's back and tightened the embrace a little. She, too, was worried that there was a foe in this world that was so unearthly, so strong that Nanoha seemed literally powerless when compared to it. And as far as the other things went…Fate didn't show it, but she felt the same way as Nanoha.

"I'm as worried as you are. But we can't give up hope…but Nanoha, I know this will be hard for us. Maybe someone will die this time. We have to be prepared for that. I know how dangerous this mission—no, this journey—is going to be, and I want Vivio somewhere safe. But…this is not really the time to discuss this…" Fate noticed that they were still right in front of Hayate's room. She slowly let go of Nanoha and stepped back, then took both hands of her lover and gave her a reassuring nod.

The two looked at the digital clock when they returned to their room. It was still nearly an hour until the appointed time. They were both feeling apprehensive. It wouldn't be easy to sneak into Mid-Childa, and it would be even harder to escape with several people that were probably wanted for various reasons like aiding wanted criminals. Them.

Just a little down the hallway, in another room, a similar train of thought was passing. Subaru was sprawled out on the bed and Teana was sitting on a table in the middle of the room. Whatever Hayate had to say, if she wanted to do it in person, with everyone present, it was probably bad news.

"I wonder what's wrong this time. Maybe we will attack something again?" Subaru guessed and instantly earned herself a harsh glare from Teana.

"Idiot. If there were enemies nearby, we would hear the alarm. I hope it's news of us leaving this place. I like this ship, but I'm sick of hanging around." Teana didn't have many friends besides her former comrades from Riot 6 and the people that were with her now. Subaru was the same, but her list included her family.

"I wonder how Ginga is doing…" Subaru didn't even want to think about the fact that Ginga worked in the TSAB main force's headquarters. She must have escaped when the Asari attacked the dimensional fortress. She must be alive.

"This is your big sister we're talking about. She's gonna be fine." Teana got up from her seat and walked over to Subaru, where she sat down next to her and laid her hand on hers. She knew well how much it hurt to lose a sibling, and she didn't want Subaru to have to go through that.

Subaru grabbed Teana's arm and pulled her down on the bed, drawing her even closer by wrapping her arms around Tea's waist. "I'm scared of finding out…what if…she really…?" Subaru wavered.

Teana had known her for a long time, but the only times when Subaru really broke down was when either Ginga or she were in danger. She her eyes and gently kissed Subaru, trying to calm her down.

Over a minute passed like that until Teana was sure Subaru would listen to her. "Ginga has always made it out okay, even that one time when Scaglietti got her. She was just the same old Ginga when you got her back, right? I'm sure she's okay and is probably trying to fight against the Asari."

Subaru relaxed a bit. She didn't show it much, but she was terribly worried about her family—especially Ginga. Teana understood, and that was one of the many things Subaru loved about her.

"Tea…" Subaru slid one hand under Teana's shirt and passionately kissed the girl next to her. It had been a while since they'd spent any intimate moments with each other. Half the time they had been injured, and then there really hadn't been the mood for it.

Teana pulled free from Subaru and stood up. The girl on the bed looked a little disappointed at her partner.

"Lights out." Teana knew that Reinforce had remodeled their rooms slightly. It was both the command for the head lights to go out and for the internal observation cameras to ignore the room. Some privacy was much appreciated.

Pulling off her top and throwing it on a chair, Teana crawled onto the bed and knelt over Subaru, who found herself below her partner all of a sudden.

Thank God it was dark so Subaru couldn't see Teana's raging blush. She was often annoyed when Subaru crawled into her bed or acted like a pervert, but she still loved and desired her. Her lips met a fiery resistance when kissing Subaru, and two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She could feel her breasts press against Subaru's. She had the weird feeling she'd forgotten something important, but Subaru's kiss and touch always made her forget about everything else.

=== Limitless ===

"Should I check on their room, Hayate?" Reinforce was standing left from Hayate. The brand-new briefing room—a small room with a round table and a big visual terminal in the front—was filled with everyone except Subaru and Teana. Signum's arm was still not completely healed, and Vita had been carried in by Zafira.

The door sprung open and a very out of breath, sweating and red-faced Teana and Subaru entered the room. Nanoha and Fate were reminded of themselves in the past. They had done that before as well.

"I honestly am happy you two like each other, but try to come on time to an important briefing." Hayate threw the two a glare and waited for them to sit down. They moved right between Nanoha and Signum.

Nanoha leaned over to Subaru and whispered something into her ear when Hayate started her speech.

"The Mid-Childan government has been overthrown or is being controlled by the Asari. Their main force, a fleet of over two hundred war ships and millions of soldiers, is stationed in the orbit of Mid-Childa." Hayate touched the terminal and an image she had gotten from Chrono was displayed, showing the planet as a blue and gray orb and a large pile of small light-blue points in the orbit. The image zoomed in and a lot of ships became visible.

"They already know that we were the ones who took down the dreadnought warship. I do not know how, but they know. Using their power, they are controlling the government and forcing them to declare us inter-dimensional criminals, wanted for treason, mass murder, and a list of other things."

Hayate switched the screen by touching it again, and a display appeared. The group saw two rows—the upper row showed the Solar Unit, the lower showed the Levitas Unit. Models of the people rotated and switched between civilian mode and mage mode.

Hayate touched the upper-left figure, which was her own model. The screen zoomed out and displayed a true-to-size model of herself in her knight armor. There was a lot of data listed.

_Name: Hayate Yagami_

_Origin: Non-Administrated World #97, Earth_

_Magic System: Ancient Belkan_

_Magic Rank: Estimated between S+ and SSS_

_Threat Level: 8_

A full list of Hayate's abilities, known behaviors, and past history was shown below that. The model changed to civilian mode after thirty seconds, so Hayate switched to Nanoha's model. It was the exact same thing, switching between barrier jacket and civilian mode, with all her data listed.

"They are much smarter that I'd like them to give credit for. They are not simply taking this galaxy by force anymore. They are abusing the power of the people who joined them to further increase their army's numbers." Hayate touched the screen again, and it played the last part of the video transmission that Nanoha and Fate had followed together with Hayate earlier.

After the video ended and the screen went back to the initial image, Hayate took a step forward. "We will attempt to infiltrate Mid-Childa, the new basis of operations of the Asari, and rescue several people. Among those people are Admiral Chrono Harlaown, Shario Finieno, Mariel Atenza, Vivio Takamachi, Ginga Nakajima, and any former trustworthy Riot 6 members."

Nanoha, Fate and Subaru looked very relieved at this revelation.

"Reinforce, please." Hayate stepped aside and let Reinforce take control of the screen. Reinforce had helped Hayate work out the plan of action for this mission and it was now her task to give the instructions.

"We will approach the planet's orbit at 4 AM local time. We have to avoid immediate contact with any Asari ships at all cost. A squad team composed of Takamachi and Testarossa as main force and Zafira as support force will utilize their ability to travel through space by themselves and infiltrate an enemy ship, disguised as new recruits."

Reinforce took three sheets of paper with data written on them and handed them to Nanoha, Fate, and Zafira, who was currently in his human form.

"Solar Two and Three, you will be the Matsumoto sisters. Zafira will double as your exotic guardian wolf, a classified mutant from the Atoria government. You have two objectives." Reinforce switched the screen and it showed now the planet in the middle and the _White Devil_'s route, as well as the stationed Asari fleet.

"The _White Devil_ will hide in the shadow of the first moon. Once you have successfully infiltrated the enemy vessel, you will gain your direct superiors' trust by giving away our position, claiming that you have defected from a resistance party that is directly supporting us. The _White Devil_ will engage in a short battle and escape promptly after firing S-class bombardment spells at the enemy vessel, namely Starlight Breaker, executed by Solar Five, and Hraesvelgr, executed by Solar One."

The image changed again and showed the _White Devil_ escaping into a different sector.

"Upon gaining your superiors' trust, you will request leave for the planet surface, claiming that you have unconfirmed intelligence on the resistance group that is aiding us. Your list of suspects will include all the people named previously. They will be treated as prime criminals and arrested by you. Upon their deportation on a space ship for questioning, you will take control of the vessel, kill every Asari soldier, and escape with the arrested. This concludes the mission."

Reinforce finished and looked around, seeing that everyone had followed her every word, attentive and serious.

"Nanoha, Fate. The enemy has our DNA information and knows exactly how we look and act. You will take a supplied drug that will change your appearance and voice. Your designed behavior is in your info sheet. Zafira, you are _never_ to assume human form while on this mission, nor speak unless you have to pass vital information to Nanoha or Fate," Reinforce explained further and the two women nodded.

"The drug is mostly without permanent effect. It will alter your appearance based on the design of your DNA. Both of you will take these as if they were snacks. They taste, to a human, extremely disgusting and only affect the person they were designed for. Thus, there is no risk of pretending to take medicine or real drugs. There is a slight possibility that your hair colors will change for a longer period of time due to extended use of the drug." Reinforce handed out three small, bonbon-like pills to each woman.

"You have to take the drug every twenty-four hours or it will wear off. I will have produced enough to last you ten days by the time we arrive in Mid-Childan space."

Reinforce stepped back and looked at everyone. "Any questions?"

Nobody said anything. Nanoha wasn't too happy with this plan, but it had a good chance of working. The question was whether it would go well. Fate was worried as well. If their cover was blown, they had absolutely no way of escaping. She had a little experience in pretending with her work, but Nanoha…

"That is all," Reinforce then said, and the screen went dark. Hayate stood up and slammed her hands on the round table.

"This is our first mission as an independent resistance force against the Asari invasion. Our first mission: infiltration and rescue." Hayate's eyes were deadly serious.

=== End of Mission Four ===


	5. Lion's Cave

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission Five ===

**Lion's Cave**

The _White Devil_ had already entered Mid-Childa's solar system. Their first mission would commence in a short while.

Nanoha and Fate had already taken the transformation drug and now looked and acted like completely different people.

Nanoha was now Elina Matsumoto, a cold-hearted, cruel, and power-hungry woman. She had short spiked blond hair, gray eyes, and a large scar over her left cheek. She was about one hundred and eighty centimeters tall. She was armed with a blaster device of the firearms category. Nanoha absolutely loathed this role, but this way no one would ever guess who she really was.

Fate was called "Jinx"—true name Irailfa Matsumoto. She was a sadistic and calculating woman who would do anything to get her way. She was depicted as every bit as desirous for power as her sister Elina. What gave her the nickname Jinx was her unique behavior in treating her enemies like voodoo dolls—impaling and sometimes disassembling them. Jinx had long purple hair that was bound in twin tails forced back into a single strand further down. She was the same height as her sister and had the same cold gray eyes. She was armed with a whip adorned with thorns which could increase in size when infused with magic.

Zafira had been dyed mostly black and green. He was also forced to wear metal armor that covered most of his body.

Hayate looked at the three from a terminal screen. "I hope everything goes as planned…"

Things were proceeding smoothly so far. They had avoided being detected by enemy sensors, but the distance to the enemy vessel was too great to simply fly there. They had not accounted for the ships' long-range sensors, so the plan had been revised so that Nanoha, Fate, and Zafira would escape in a small ship and get under fire of the _White Devil_. It was a basic strategy, but it would work.

They were ready to take off. Hayate had already explained the procedure. The closest ship was under the command of Captain Arif Jespar, a mercenary mage whose background was unknown. The _White Devil_ was barely outside its sensory range.

The small ship left the _White Devil_ and put a few thousand meters between itself and the _White Devil_. Fate, aka Jinx, piloted it.

Hayate turned around and gave new orders. Reinforce, Teana and Shamal were on the bridge, each doing her part. Teana was in charge of the ship's weapon system with aid from Reinforce, and Shamal was in charge of the sensory machines.

"Open fire. Avoid direct hits." Hayate knew this was a risky plan, but there was no turning back now.

Reinforce nodded and Teana started to fire multiple magic blast shells at the small transporter. The impact of the shells shook the small ship and threw it off its course. It looked so real that Teana stopped, feeling really bad for shooting at her friends.

"Keep firing! As soon as the Asari fleet moves, prepare for a light-speed burst out of the system," Hayate ordered. She sat down in the new chair that Reinforce had placed on the bridge.

Meanwhile, Nanoha opened a channel to the enemy vessel and to every Asari ship in the vicinity. "We're being attacked by a vessel of unknown origin!" she said. "The vessel is occupied by rebel forces. We request support from the Asari fleet." Nanoha's voice was so different now that it was hard to believe she was the person talking.

It took only a few seconds for the ship to answer. "_Identify yourself. This is Captain Jespar of the Mars of the Imperial Asari Fleet._" The voice was that of a tough man. It was only an audio channel, so they couldn't tell if it really was Jespar.

"Elina and Jinx Matsumoto," Nanoha answered. "We're mercenaries and we want to join the Asari fleet. We've heard there's good money to make with the rebel hunt."

While Nanoha was talking, one burst shell literally passed the transporter by a few inches, jolting them right out of their seats and damaging the controls and the engine. The transporter would blow in a few minutes.

Fate got up and started talking. "Captain, open your dock! Our ship is damaged and won't make it! We'll make the rest of the way ourselves! Jinx out."

Fate closed the terminal. She hadn't been lying—Teana had gone a bit overboard with her shooting. This hadn't been the plan.

Nanoha, Fate, and Zafira put up their barriers. Nanoha's color had changed to a dark blue, while Fate's was purple. Zafira's remained as it was before. They were carrying their devices, now disguised as amulets. They were embedded into small metallic forms which could be crushed with a small burst of magic in case they needed to use them. Activating them while DNA-disguised would be both very dangerous and would blow their cover.

Nanoha, also known as Elina, took the lead and took off. Fate followed seconds later, and Zafira was directly behind both of them. The ship drifted dangerously off course in a matter of seconds as soon as they left. Another one of the _White Devil_'s burst shells destroyed the transporter outright barely a minute after they had gone into space. Hayate sure seemed to trust in their judgment.

The _Mars_ started to intercept the _White Devil_ but was no match for it. The monstrous chimera ship opened fire on the _Mars_ and landed a direct hit on its weapon system. For a moment, Fate worried that Reinforce was going to destroy the ship, leaving them stranded out there in space. She had never forgotten how the auto-defense system had attacked them.

But the _Mars_ was not alone. Multiple ships started to shoot and move towards the _White Devil_. It looked like the rebel vessel was escaping—it had turned halfway around. Nanoha knew what was coming shortly.

They had just arrived in the docking bay of the _Mars_ when Nanoha grabbed one of the workers roughly. "Open a com link to your captain. _Now!_" Her eyes and her behavior convinced the worker that she was going to rip his arms off if he refused.

He opened a terminal with his personal code and Nanoha lost no time. "Captain, re-direct all your energy to your shields immediately. The rebels have ship-orbit weapon platforms and several of their members are believed to be S class. I know for a fact that one of the resistance leaders, Hayate Yagami, is among them. She's a triple S-rank mage!"

The captain was surprised that he was suddenly being ordered around by a mere woman. He had already become an Asari and would not take orders from anyone but the Divine Four! "Shut your mouth, woman!" he snapped. "_I_ will decide what will be done on this ship!"

The attack came like an avalanche. Hayate was on a weapon platform in unison with Rein. A massive blast of energy shot out from the platform, flew past the _Mars_, and finally exploded into a sphere of light when it hit another ship. The entire ship was annihilated in seconds.

"Dammit! All energy to the shields! Call for backup, and order all ships to concentrate their fire on the weapon platforms!" Jespar ordered and opened a com link to the two women in his dock bay.

"What was your name again?" He was curious. The two seemed to have some intel on the rebel ship.

"Elina Matsumoto, sir." Nanoha had to try hard to act in character and not blast everyone on this ship to bits and pieces. Fate was feeling no different. Zafira could at least growl at any fool that dared to approach him.

"Get your ass up here! I want an explanation for all this!" Jespar shut off the link just in time to watch a second wave of energy barely miss his ship and demolish a destroyer-class warship that had just arrived. These rebels were goddamn dangerous!

"Captain, they're retreating!" one of his soldiers reported.

Seconds after the report, a massive burst of energy hit his ship. He knew this move—it was one of the signature spells from one of the rebel leaders that had a bounty on them. "All ships are to attack and pursue the enemy vessel! Yagami and Takamachi are on board of this pile of junk. How are our shields holding?"

"Several sectors were damaged by the impact of the attack just now. Shields are down to seventeen percent. We can't take another hit like that." It was a different soldier from before.

Speak of the devil, a third blast of white magic missed the _Mars_ barely and impacted a formation of ships behind them. The rebels were dangerous, all right. Just how much magical power did they have? Even as Asari, he would not survive the explosion of a destroyer warship.

"Retreat! Let the other fools attack these monsters."

The ship was damaged and they didn't have the weapons range to fire at the unknown vessel. And just what in the world _was_ that thing, anyway? It was much too small to be a dreadnought-class ship but it clearly had the propulsion and weaponry of one…

When Nanoha and Fate arrived on the bridge, the captain got up and looked at both of them with a face full of contempt. They were still humans. To him, they were useful, but inferior.

"I demand an explanation. How did you know about the weapon platforms? Who exactly are you?"

With things as they were, the captain was more than suspicious of others. It hadn't been long since the Asari had taken power and declared all resistances as criminal organizations. Effectively, the invaders had become the new government.

"Are you sitting on your _ears_, Captain? We are _mercenaries_. As you can guess, we did some dirty work for the rebel forces. They don't pay enough, so we're switching sides. We have some delicate intel on their ship and their numbers, if the money is right," Nanoha answered. This role didn't suit her at all, but if it was for the sake of the mission, she would bear with it.

The captain's first impression of them was confirmed—money-grabbing whores. Mercenaries that would betray anyone for enough money. But they were expendable and yet useful.

He looked to one of his subordinates. "Give them a room. And get that animal out of the bridge." He then looked from Nanoha to Fate and examined both of them closely. "You're hired. I'll send someone later to get you. We can use any intel on the rebel forces we can get."

Nanoha and Fate looked at Zafira, who then followed them.

The soldier led them to a small room which contained of little but two beds and a table. It was a standard room on a battleship. Zafira stayed out of the room and lay down in front of the door, looking grimly at every passing soldier.

Fate was a little suspicious of how easily things were going. She checked the room to see if there were any cameras or devices to monitor them, but the room was clean.

"That was too easy. They're probably running background checks on us right now." She sat down on the left bed and Nanoha joined her.

"I really hate acting like this." Nanoha was a bit surprised at how well Fate had pulled off her role, but she was an Enforcer, so she was more used to undercover operations.

"I don't like it either, but it's necessary. You saw how many ships they have. The Asari are no longer just some threat. They have taken over most of the government. We need to win the trust of the captain and get assigned to the ground forces."

"I hope Hayate's plan works. If our cover is blown, we're in trouble," Nanoha sighed.

=== Limitless ===

Two hours later, they were sitting on a small couch in the captain's room. The man himself already wanted to get rid of them. He didn't like women on his ship and the two weren't exactly nice to look at either.

"Now, tell me about the rebel forces. Numbers, arms and such." There was one soldier present to write down everything they said, but Fate wasn't fooled by the lack of guards. There were several devices to monitor everything that was going on in the room. If they acted oddly, he would no doubt have a dozen guards on stand-by.

"We only have limited intel on their numbers. The rebel forces are not organized yet. The biggest threat would be the _White Devil_. It's an unknown type, and the captain refused to tell us much about it." Nanoha looked at Fate, who continued.

"From the look of it, it's ALIAS technology, even though that was outlawed by the old government. I can't be sure on that, though. There are several other independent rebel forces we know of. Two of them hide on the planet right below us and one more has their own ship—an identical copy of the _White Devil. _It's called _Black Thunder_." Fate knew it would increase the importance of the intel if the threat level was greater than anticipated.

"The rebel forces on Mid-Childa are supposed to manufacture these ships," Fate went on. "That's what I gathered from listening in on Yagami and Takamachi." She looked at Nanoha.

"We were supposed to go down to the planet to take them and relocate their base to a planet that's far on the edge of this galaxy, where the Asari haven't yet reached. The risk was too high for what they paid us, so we took the chance and said goodbye. They didn't like us deserting and opened fire. You know the rest."

Fate took over. "Their arms aren't much in the number, but at least everyone on the _White Devil_ was S-ranked. You felt their power firsthand. The members on the _White Devil_ include Yagami Hayate, Takamachi Nanoha, Fate T. Testarossa, and Yagami's personal unit, the Wolkenritter. There is also an weird automaton called Reinforce, but I wasn't able to determine its origin nor its allegiance."

"The rebel unit on the ground is of unknown numbers but is estimated to be small. We are supposed to contact their leader at 0600 hours tomorrow. They are very cautious. They have been given exact descriptions of what we look like, and unless we show up, they're gone." Nanoha made that point very clear. It was either they who went down there or nobody at all.

The captain wasn't stupid. "Who says this isn't all an elaborate ploy by the rebels? For all I know, you could be still part of them." He was still suspicious of them.

"They fucking _fired_ at us. They tried to kill us! If we were still on their side I somehow doubt they'd go as far as trying to _kill_ us. Or would _you_ fire at your subordinates with everything you got? Not to mention there are a million better ways to infiltrate a ship than getting fired at with goddamn energy beams. But fine—if you still can't trust us, we're out of here. We'll sell our information to someone else who can actually appreciate it!" Fate cursed and kicked over the table in front of her.

"Wait. All right. You've got a point." The captain nodded at the guards who had come in when they heard the table being kicked over to leave them. "So you say you are supposed to meet the rebels on the planet surface. Let's say I believe you. What good does this do me?"

"You'll earn the credit for wiping out the rebels. And we get our money. It's a risky job, so we won't be satisfied with pocket change." Fate opened up a terminal, much to the surprise of the captain, and started opening some documents. "About that much."

"You're crazy. I could wipe a whole city with rockets for that money!" He was concerned that this woman had hacked her way into terminals on the ship this easily.

"But you can't do that. Your great leader won't allow that." Nanoha assumed that if she hadn't done it by now, she wouldn't do it ever. "We can give you the rebels on a silver platter. Pay us. Send us down there. We'll do the rest."

"I'll think about it. For the time being…" He pressed a button and about a dozen guards entered the room. "Put them in the brig. You are under temporary arrest for hacking into the ship's mainframe." With a malicious grin, he added, "Enjoy your stay, _humans_."

Nanoha and Fate didn't want to cause a commotion, so they followed. They were disarmed and put in different cells. Zafira was there too, restrained with chains and a muzzle. Things weren't going exactly as planned anymore.

They were guarded by four guards, all heavily armed. But since boarding the ship the three of them had learned that it was extremely easy to identify someone who'd been turned into an Asari. They had small marks—lines, curves, sometimes a symbol—on their foreheads. There wasn't much difference between the symbols. It seemed like there were only really four types of them. Some of the soldiers kept their bangs over their foreheads to hide the marks, others showed off theirs.

There was an incredibly strong AMF in the brig, preventing Nanoha and Fate from communicating by telepathy. It would be very difficult to break out of this place if they needed to…

A couple of hours passed before the captain showed up and let them out. "Lady Marasfithal is taking responsibility for this operation. You will leave in thirty minutes. And you will be wearing these." He held a pair of collars in his hand.

Suddenly, Nanoha was brutally hit on the back of her head and forced to her knees. Two men, much stronger than she could have expected, held her down while the captain put on the collar. As soon as it closed, it emitted a quiet glow.

Fate was next, taking the same treatment as Nanoha. Zafira had already been restrained already, so he couldn't fight back at all.

"I assume you know what these are. Do not disappoint me—or you'll quite literally lose your head." He gave the guards a nod and Nanoha was handed a single blue card. "Your payment. Now get lost. Being around humans makes me sick."

They were escorted to a small transporter. The guards handed them back their weapons and took off Zafira's restraints. Though they might be humans, it was better to not take any risks.

As soon as the rear hatch closed, Fate looked for hidden transceivers or bugs. There were none. As soon as she confirmed it, Fate looked at Nanoha. "Are you okay? How is your head?" Fate was used to rough treatment and such because she was an Enforcer, but Nanoha…

"It's okay. It hurt a lot, but I'm more worried about this thing." Nanoha pointed at her collar and Fate examined it. "Are you okay, Fate? They hit you pretty hard too."

"I'm fine, thanks. I don't think we can take these off without the fitting key. I'll ask Shari to look at them when we find her," Fate replied and sat down in the pilot seat.

"We should depart. They will be suspicious of us if we take much longer," Zafira warned the other two.

"You're right. Nanoha, please sit down. I have a feeling they won't let us leave in peace." Fate didn't trust a word of the captain, but they had gained reasonable intel already. It was well worth the risk.

Fate started the engine and looked over the controls while Nanoha sat down in the co-pilot's seat and rubbed the back of her head. It was tender—she'd have quite a bruise.

Nanoha sighed. She knew that there was little time to spend time with Fate while on a mission, but she still wanted to take a small break. Acting like another person was much more tiring than she'd thought it would be.

They had barely left the ship when half the controls blinked red. "They've locked onto us!" Fate made the ship rotate to the right and roll over. Half a dozen missiles passed them. "Hold on, this is gonna be a bumpy ride!" Fate flipped three switches and changed controls to manual flight and navigation.

Nanoha didn't say a word. Fate looked pretty serious and she didn't want to distract her. Zafira was in the back, claws practically drilled into the massive steel floor. If it became necessary, he would be able to put up a shield momentarily that would protect them all from the harsh environment of space.

Fate evaded the next couple shots skillfully by forcing the ship up and down, all the while heading towards the planet below them. She was flying at maximum speed, which would pose a problem in a few minutes.

She pushed the controls to their limit. The ship flew high up and rolled over, passing right between two missiles. They really were trying their best to shoot them down!

If this was supposed to be a joke, Fate didn't find it funny. She glanced at the radar. "Dammit. Hold on!" she said, right before taking the tiny ship down into an almost vertical dive.

Seconds later, the small transporter shook and creaked like it was about to be torn apart. A massive energy blast had passed right above them.

Nanoha looked out the window and saw what had fired at them. There was someone out there!

"Fate, move to the right, now!" Nanoha shouted. The thing had locked onto them and was charging up for another attack—at least that was what it looked like.

Fate trusted Nanoha's instincts and pushed the ship into another sharp right dive. They managed to avoid a direct hit, but the shot clipped the right wing of their transporter and they lost a good deal of maneuverability.

"Crap!" Fate knew the transporter would never make it down to the planet like this!

"Zafira, shield,_ now!_" She pushed three buttons, grabbed Nanoha's wrist and yanked her back. They fell roughly to the ground right in front of Zafira. "Give it everything you've got!"

With a growl, Zafira put up a small but very powerful shield that barely covered all of them. And then everything went as red and hot as the sun as they were engulfed into a massive blast of fire and energy.

=== Limitless ===

"We're running short on supplies. A Class 5 transporter is scheduled to pick up supplies at the eastern airbase around 0800 hours tomorrow. Supplies for the _Unforgiving, _Hyreisa's ship." Chrono was briefing a small group of people.

"You are to intercept the loading process, take out all military Asari personnel, and take control of the transporter. Lieutenant Mil will be taking the transporter to the scheduled point at which our main force will wait, take the supplies, and destroy the transporter."

He walked with a single crutch, as his injury from escaping Asari confinement had not fully healed yet. "You have your assignments. Dismissed."

Over sixty people, all soldiers, showed the sign of the resistance, a clenched fist to their right shoulder.

Chrono sat down. It was an underground base, the main base for most rebels. They were barely four hundred people—the last major resistance on Mid-Childa against the Asari invasion.

The government had fallen some time ago. Most of the financial and political power was in the hands of the Asari now. Their numbers were growing without end. Chrono knew that the resistance had not much more time to realize their plans.

They had to meet up with their major strike forces that were hiding out on Laervion, a planet on the other side of the galaxy. The whole planet was under their control and their numbers were in the hundreds of thousands already.

He was worried about Hayate and the others. They had found themselves a ship, but he hoped they would stay away from Mid-Childa. Especially right now. Not only the _Unforgiving_ was here, but also the _Eternal_ and the _Invincible__—_three of the four flagships from the Asari fleet.

The _Eternal_ was especially dangerous. On board that ship was the source of all this chaos, the leader of the Asari—Vysfila. According to the intel they had, it was nearly impossible to get aboard that ship, much less assassinate the leader. Another rebel group had been wiped out by the youngest Asari sister the day before.

"Sir, we have captured two seemingly dangerous individuals who claim you know them—two women and a four-legged wolf-like beast," a single soldier reported.

"Describe them." He had a hunch as to who the two were, but he knew that not everyone could be trusted in these dangerous times.

"They're about your height. One has blond hair, a large scar over her cheek, and gray eyes. The other has long purple hair and gray eyes as well. They claim to know you personally, sir."

Chrono was confused. He didn't know anyone who looked like that. But he was curious about the animal. "Describe the wolf-like creature."

"Sir, it's a four-legged wolf-like creature like I said. Black and green fur, red eyes, and a blue jewel dot on its forehead. It's wearing some kind of metal armor. What shall we do with them?"

Chrono hesitated. That sounded a little like Zafira, one of Hayate's Wolkenritter. But what exactly would he be doing here? And with two unknown women? "Bring them to me. Restrain them and search them for magical devices."

Twenty minutes later, a thoroughly searched Nanoha and Fate in disguise were brought before Chrono. He seemed suspicious of Zafira. He examined the Wolkenritter closely. There were traces of blue and white fur beneath his armor. He also smelled like wet dog.

"Where did you find them?" he asked the four guards who kept the two women restrained and gagged.

"Barely outside the perimeter, sir. They're wearing prisoner collars, so they could be escapees from an Asari fleet ship."

"Take out their gags," Chrono ordered the soldiers, and they followed suit.

"Chrono, we need to speak alone," Fate immediately said. "Ask them for the devices they found. They will prove who we are."

Fate didn't want to blow their cover in front of the soldiers. Even in the rebel base there was no saying who was a spy and who wasn't. Not to mention that the fact that two of the most wanted rebel forces members had suddenly showed up would be big news. They couldn't risk that.

"Show me." He held out his hand and one of the soldiers, a woman, placed two small devices in his hand_—_Raging Heart and Bardiche.

"Do they show any Asari markings?" he asked the same soldier.

"No, sir. They also let me willingly search them when they heard I was to do so on your orders, sir," the woman replied.

"Untie them. I will question them myself. They are, as of now, not dangerous." Chrono had no idea why the two looked so different or why they didn't want their identity known, but he would play along. For now.

"Follow me." Chrono left the room.

Outside there were soldiers everywhere_—_maintaining equipment, making repairs, and treating the injured. This was a full-fledged rebel base. Chrono entered a small room that seemed to be his. It looked like an office, except a small bed was placed next to the desk.

He sat down and examined both women. "Start talking. I want an explanation."

Fate took a step forward. "I'm Fate T. Harlaown. This is Nanoha Takamachi. We are currently carrying out an undercover mission under Brigadier General Yagami's orders."

"Why are you here? I wished for Hayate to stay away from Mid-Childa. We are planning to abandon this base and leave the planet in the next seventy-two hours." Chrono was frowning. He had hardened up ever since he had taken control over the base and a big part of the resistance.

"We are here to find, rescue, and escort the following people to the _White Devil_—you, Shario Finieno, Mariel Atenza, Vivio Takamachi, Ginga Nakajima, and any other remaining Riot 6 members," Fate reported.

Nanoha had really had enough with the formalities. She wanted to go and hug Chrono, happy that he was alive, but her instincts told her that Chrono would not appreciate that gesture right now.

"I am here, as you can see. I am in command of this base. I won't be going anywhere. Hayate is more than capable of commanding a ship on her own. Shario Finieno and Mariel Atenza are in a prison camp under strict Asari control. Vivio Takamachi and Ginga Nakajima have both left the planet and are well on their way to Laervion."

With a deep sigh and a smile he added, "Vivio is fine. Ginga is looking after her right now. She will be safe on Laervion. The planet is a fortress. I'm sorry you can't see her right now. But we are at war with the Asari, and we are losing people. Fast."

Nanoha was so happy to hear his words about Vivio that she shed a few silent tears. She was comforted by Fate, who seemed to be taking this much better than she was. But Fate too was obviously happy to hear that Vivio was outside of Asari reach, safe and sound.

"We tried multiple times to rescue Shario Finieno and Mariel Atenza, but every attempt failed. We have intel that they are being relocated to a laboratory tomorrow, but we have barely enough manpower to cover the mission to remedy our supply shortage." Chrono opened up a terminal that showed their plans.

"I cannot give you two any manpower, but if it's you two, I think you can pull it off," he said. "There will be only around twenty guards for the whole transport. I cannot say what the best course of action is, however. We have too little intel on the escort forces for that."

Chrono handed both of them their devices. "We have the necessary technology to take your collars off, but it'll take a few hours to manufacture the keys. And we don't have any spare room, so you'll have to make yourself useful. Fate, I want you to go and relieve Colonel Wind from his post. He is in Hangar Three. Nanoha, you will be on guard duty. Zafira will accompany you. Keep the disguises—I do not want anyone to get euphoric because two well-known heroes of the rebel force have suddenly shown up. Dismissed."

Chrono opened up another terminal and contacted a technician. "Yes. Three XSI-06 models. Make them ASAP."

After they left, he leaned back in his chair. He had twenty minutes until the next briefing. Why did they have to show up now? Sure, they would come in handy by the time they led the _Black Thunder_ into outer space and through the Asari blockade…but what in the world had Hayate been thinking, sending them there now?

He went over the mission plans again. With Nanoha and Fate here, he ought to take the chance and rescue the TSAB's two remaining technicians…but he simply lacked the manpower. Then again, Nanoha and Fate were more offensively trained than Zafira. He could split them up, of course, and make Zafira escort his troops when they took over the transport…

Opening a few more terminals, Chrono started doing calculations and developing schemes. It would be hard to do both at once. The Asari knew that. They had a multitude of war experience. And they were good at what they did…

Fate relieved the tired colonel from his post and took over. During her Enforcer days she had learned to operate a lot of things—helicopters, heavy ground mobiles, smaller aircraft and spacecrafts.

The colonel checked back with Chrono before giving up his post. After getting confirmation, he switched with Fate, who was still posing as Jinx. It was a simple job—fly over to an abandoned base, load supplies, and fly back.

Nanoha saw her off. She was about to take over guard duty with Zafira.

"Be safe!" Nanoha shouted, and watched Fate wave and smile. At least they didn't have to keep up the act of evil fiends down here.

"Ma'am, it's time," a soldier notified Nanoha. He escorted her to her own post.

The base was inside a mountain, about three hundred miles off the former ground forces HQ, just outside an abandoned district. It was Nanoha's job to guard the northern perimeter of the mountain along with a couple of other soldiers. It didn't take much for her to notice how tired out they were. Many of them were injured as well. Half the force was made up of women, and most were not trained soldiers. They were armed with modified staffs and rifles.

She settled down for a long, boring wait. Nanoha had no one to talk to, and even if she had, there was a ban on talking on guard duty unless it concerned enemy advances. The guard posts were all situated on small, slightly elevated stone plates. It was nearly impossible to spot anyone there from the air or from afar.

Nanoha passed the time by thinking over their possible courses of action. Beside rescuing Shari and Mariel, there weren't that many options for them left. It would be best to stay with Chrono for the time being. He must have some sort of plan, after all. She wanted to go after Vivio, but even Nanoha knew that it would be impossible right now. Nanoha didn't even know where this planet called Laervion was. For now, she was relieved that Vivio was safe and that she was being looked after by someone she trusted.

More than three hours passed before something odd appeared in the distance. Nanoha first thought she was seeing things, but then the other guards gave silent signals as well. Using eagle eyes, Nanoha checked the distance—and a familiar fear took hold of her heart.

A few miles ahead, a gigantic dust cloud had appeared on the horizon. Though the rebel base was located in the middle of an abandoned district, the cloud was headed straight for them, and Nanoha could tell what was causing it—Asari. A large troop of them. And they had raised a red flag with a black heart and sword on it.

The flag was the symbol of Tyreithar, the Asari that Nanoha had briefly met in the space station. The one who had given her nightmares. And she was heading right for them.

"Ma'am, please follow me." A soldier relieved Nanoha from her post and led her back down. Chrono had rounded up most of his experienced and capable soldiers in the main hangar. Nanoha was signaled to join them in the front row.

They were all standing before a high pedestal on which Chrono was standing. Behind him were several terminals that showed data and assign information.

"An information leak gave away the area code of our position. We are lucky that this area is large enough to delay their search significantly. The preparations for launching the _Black Thunder_ are not complete yet, so we will have to fight them. It is one of Tyreithar's personal units, and they are not to be taken lightly. We estimate their forces to consist of more than forty S-rank mages and nearly a hundred mages of A rank and above. It's a large force, but we have the territorial advantage over them."

He took a deep breath and continued. "You will be divided into three squads, consisting of two leaders and eighteen members each. The leader of Squad One will be myself and Nanoha Takamachi." Murmuring broke out as soon as Nanoha's name was said.

"_Silence!_" Chrono shouted, and the group immediately fell quiet. "Our main purpose is to fight the enemy in a direct battle and stall them until Squad Two is in position. Squad Two will be led by Zafira and Carim Gracia. Squad Two will ambush the enemy forces from behind, preventing them from retreating. We will not make prisoners out of traitors to our race."

This time it was Nanoha's turn to be surprised. Carim Gracia of the Saint Church was here as well? And Chrono seemed…oddly merciless.

"Squad Three will be led by Fate T. Harlaown and Schach Nouera. I have assigned specialists in infiltration and single combat to Squad Three. Their mission will be to attack Prison Camp 68, eighty miles to the southeast. Your mission is to dispatch the Asari and to free the prisoners. That is your top priority. If problems arise, you are to destroy the entire camp with an ADB. Each leader will be handed one."

Chrono stepped aside when Carim and Schach entered the room and the pedestal. People started to whistle and cheer. Obviously, the two were great assets to the resistance.

"Nanoha, go and meet up with Fate in Sector A-8. Down the hall, right, then right again. Get that collar off," Chrono called over the din, looking straight at Nanoha.

His voice was loud enough to be heard, however. Nanoha walked off, but not without every single soldier, Carim and Schach included, staring after her. Well, none of them knew that she was actually Nanoha in disguise. The noise of everyone asking a hundred questions and Chrono trying to shut them up followed her out of the room.

When Nanoha located the correct room, she had just enough time to catch sight of Fate and Zafira before she was quickly ushered into the room and shoved down into a chair by several technicians, who immediately started fiddling with the collar around her neck. With an odd noise, the collar fell off and disintegrated.

She looked to Fate, but both of them were mature enough to know that there was no time for personal feelings right now. The Asari were marching towards them at this very moment.

Nanoha activated Raging Heart. Zafira and Fate had both changed back to their original bodies. Fate was already in combat attire. She had been briefed by Chrono before everyone else. Zafira was back to his normal self but he had kept the armor. It provided some extra protection against non-magical attacks, and he was more than strong enough to support the extra weight.

"All done. The commander told me to send you three to his room now," a technician said, and pointed out the door. He immediately turned back to his terminals and research, and the other technicians immediately dispersed. None of the people here was bored or taking a rest. This was an all-out war.

The members of the _White Devil_ arrived at Chrono's room a few minutes later. They were greeted by Carim and Schach, and they entered together. The room was a little cramped with six people in there, and there was no room to sit, but they endured.

"Fate. Schach." Chrono handed each of them a small device that looked like a big spring roll. "These are ADBs—Anti-Dimensional Bombs. They rip a hole in dimensional space and shift everything in the blast radius into another dimension. Use them only if necessary."

Chrono knew about the risks of using the bombs. They could cause the entire dimensional area to become unstable and destroy itself. That was why the bombs had been outlawed decades ago.

"Nanoha, you can't go easy on the Asari. They are no longer human. They are an enemy race trying to take over our galaxy. I don't know how to tell you this, but they—" Chrono was stopped by Fate.

"We already fought with them. Our hands are as bloodstained as yours, Chrono. And believe me, none of us has any pity for them. They chose to betray humanity and side with the Asari. They chose their destiny, and we chose ours." Fate looked at Nanoha, who only gave a quiet nod.

Nanoha still sometimes had qualms about killing people, but that was what war did—it killed people. This was the biggest war in the history of the TSAB, and she was a soldier. She had known this day would come, but despite that, nothing could have prepared her for the guilt of killing anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people.

"Zafira, Carim, you will go around the enemy forces in two groups and meet up behind them. Kill everyone. Allow not a single one to escape. They regenerate unless they are really dead."

Chrono knew that Carim was very powerful. Her rare skill was rather useless in combat, but still, she could use Ancient Belkan magic and was a formidable knight. Zafira's power was beyond all question, as Hayate's personal guardian.

"That is all. Mission will commence in fifteen minutes. Get ready. You have your assigned posts and members. Keep them alive. Make no prisoners. And give them hell." Chrono himself took his device, Durandal Plus, and headed out.

Carim and Zafira had already gone. Carim had yet to activate her device and Nanoha had wanted to see her in action. She knew that Carim was very close to Hayate. It would please her friend to know that Carim was safe.

Fate stopped for a moment and held Nanoha back before she could follow Chrono. Pulling her close, Fate gave her lover a quick kiss.

"Don't get hurt." Fate smiled and followed Schach, who was walking down the opposite corridor.

"I see you two are as close as ever," Chrono said.

He had known about them for some time. He was actually relieved now that they had showed up. Having two more SS-rank mages under his command made his job easier.

"How is Amy?" Nanoha was a little worried about all the people she knew, but the situation didn't allow for her to ask about every single one.

"She's safe. She's one of the officers on Laervion. Most of the Riot 6 force is there as well, among some of the more loyal and powerful TSAB members."

Chrono opened a door and entered a small room where several people were waiting. Nanoha knew right away that this was her squad. They all wielded their own devices, most of them ranking double A or triple A.

"We will engage the enemy at these coordinates." Chrono pulled up a terminal display and pushed a button. The ground started to shake, and Nanoha noticed that the room was actually an elevator designed to bring them outside.

"Stay together. Don't let the enemy separate you! Captain Takamachi will be the front force, along with half the squad. Number One to Nine, you're with her. The rest are with me and will spread in groups of two in this formation." The terminal's image changed. "Number Eighteen, you're with me. Let's get them."

Chrono turned to Nanoha, his effective second-in-command right now, and gave her final instructions. "If you think you can do it, bring up an aerial assault. Tyr's forces are strong ground soldiers, but they barely have any aerial forces. It's up to you. Don't die out there."

Before Nanoha could reply, the lift reached the surface. They were left in the middle of a forest on the slope of the mountain.

"Go!" Chrono started running down the slope and half the squad followed him. What to do with the other half of the squad was all up to Nanoha.

"You guys assemble in a two-line interchangeable formation. Three of you will fire at maximum power, then reload. Then the next three will fire. You, you, and you—watch the sky for bombardment spells and attacks from behind. You're in charge of protecting your allies. As soon as I have completed the initial aerial assault, I will join you. As soon as I do, switch to rapid fire on medium power. Don't hesitate to use cartridges if you can. Go!"

Nanoha waited for her group to disperse, then took off and reached a high altitude in a matter of seconds. She could see the enemy force advancing in the distance. They were twenty, maybe thirty minutes away.

"Raging Heart, Blaster Mode!" Raging Heart responded and created a blaster bit. Nanoha could wipe quite a few enemies before any of the ground forces got hurt, but right now she was too far away to aim properly. She had to get closer…

It took only a minute's flight at full power to reach a good position. If the enemy had spotted her, they didn't show it. They simply advanced forward as if she were just some kind of oversized bug in the sky.

"Raging Heart, Blaster Two!" The device responded and set up a second blaster bit. It would be hard to hit a moving target from this distance…

But Chrono had already planned for that. The entire slope of the mountain and the ground in the abandoned district started to rapidly freeze, and the enemy forces were instantly in disarray. There was no doubt in Nanoha's mind that Chrono had created this chance for her. She would not waste it.

"_Divine…_"

Further down, both Chrono's and Nanoha's soldiers had taken their places. Hidden between the rocky formations on the mountain slope, they opened massive fire on the enemy.

Nanoha's orders had been helpful. Setting their devices to maximum blast power required all of them to spend a few seconds reloading before shooting again; however, using maximum power could cause considerable damage, even to an Asari. It was enough to kill a human outright, but the Asari could take two or three full-power hits before they went down.

"Durandal, Avalanche." Chrono was going all out right away. There was no telling who was in the approaching unit. If Tyreithar herself was in there, it was a futile fight anyway.

"Yes, Boss." Durandal loaded a whole round of cartridges and started to emit massive waves of magic into the air.

"Let's show them how bad an idea it is to mess with us humans." Chrono was more than eager to kill a few Asari.

Zafira and Carim were still on their way around the enemy forces when Zafira noticed Nanoha far up in the air, above the enemy forces. The second he spotted her, three massive energy beams fired from where Nanoha was. The light that followed was so blindingly bright that he had to close his eyes. Every soldier who followed him watched the catastrophic impact of the beams. If they hadn't known how monstrous the Asari were, they would have thought that nothing could have survived that kind of attack.

As soon as the energy remains vanished, Nanoha had a good oversight on the enemy. Their numbers were much greater than Chrono had anticipated. From where she was, she could see that there were also large groups of enemies heading from the east and west toward Carim's and Zafira's parties.

Seconds later, the eastern part of the forest exploded in a golden ball of fire. Carim had started fighting. Nanoha immediately decided that aerial bombardment was much more efficient than going down to the ground. The enemy had no air forces at all. There were some futile attempts to shoot at her, but her shield held against those attacks easily.

The western part of the forest changed its face brutally when thirty-foot white spikes and pillars appeared out of it. Zafira had encountered the enemy as well. Nanoha tried to contact them via telepathy, but something was blocking her ability to reach them.

In the meantime, she had started to shiver. The air around her was becoming colder with every second, and Nanoha flew further ahead—behind enemy lines. Chrono was planning something and she had to get out of the way.

The whole eastern forest was on fire now. Nanoha watched massive explosions erupt one after another. She didn't know what rank Carim was, but her power was sort of frightening. Zafira wasn't pulling any punches either—most of the western forest's ground had collapsed. Large portions were tilted awkwardly as they moved to make way for underground caves.

All this magic was only aiding Nanoha. Her aim was good. She was charging up a Starlight Breaker when she saw Chrono's attack unfold on the enemy. Countless massive ice pillars rained down on them, crushing their bodies into a bloody mess. Even so, their numbers were barely decreasing. The Asari were incredibly tough.

"_Starlight…_"

It would take time to reach her maximum power under Blaster Two, but if anyone still stood after this attack, she was out of ideas.

Down on the ground, Zafira's fur was stained with blood. He had just taken off the limbs of an Asari with just his claws and teeth.

"_Ragnarok!_" Zafira growled out, and countless tiny white spikes appeared all around the four enemies that were about to attack his squad. The spikes stabbed into hands, eyes, hearts, lungs, legs, and the Asari still stood and fight. They were like zombies.

"_Let there be light!_" Carim shouted. She pointed her device, a large silver sword with a golden hilt called Zeus, at a location over one hundred feet away. She had ordered most of her men to provide backing while she cleared the enemy forces.

A massive ball of golden fire followed her words. It erupted at the appointed place and turned everything in its immediate area to ash. Carim had taken down eight Asari so far in addition to most of the forest. The fact that her magic was designed to be used in wide-open places was a drawback. The entire forest now burned red.

The battle seemed completely in favor of the humans.

=== Limitless ===

Fate gritted her teeth in pain while Schach bound some cloth around her injured arm. They had run into something terrible—the whole prison camp had been massacred, Asari and humans alike. There was nobody left alive, just like back on the space station.

Fate and Schach had split up, each with their men, to search for any survivors. Schach was the first to make enemy contact. She immediately knew who was before her from the unique mark on the woman's forehead—a large triangle with two swords horizontally stabbed through.

Tyreithar, the most incalculable out of the four Asari leaders. Schach herself had only survived because Fate's unit had been close by. Fate had managed to cut off one of Tyreithar's arms with a surprise attack, but that didn't seem to faze the monster, so Fate grabbed Schach and retreated. While she waited for their men, all that came drifting down the corridor were the grotesque sounds of flesh being ripped apart.

They had to keep going.

Fate had suffered a brutal blow to her left arm. It was most likely broken, but the adrenaline kept the pain somewhat bearable. She was in no condition to fight Tyr anyway, even uninjured. She was lucky the impact hadn't broken _all_ her bones. Whatever Tyr was, she was so far removed from a human that Fate was sure she could take off Tyr's head and Tyr would somehow show up to get it back.

Their only chance of survival was to escape. They could still hear the clanging of Tyr's sword in the distance. She was there, somewhere in the complex, hunting for them.

"Can you stand?" Schach helped Fate up. If not for her quick thinking and power, Schach would have been as dead as the rest of her unit. "Let's get out of here."

"Do you know where the exit is?" Fate asked.

Schach shook her head. They had lost their way in their wild escape. The prison camp extended far underground in a dark and old catacomb-like complex. There were thousands of cells, but there was no one left alive. The floor was slick with blood and remains of what were once people. Occasionally, Fate spotted half a head or parts of a torso sitting piled in a corner.

"To think she would kill her own kin like that…" Schach cursed with a muffled voice.

"And yet they're following her like she's some sort of god." Fate said to herself and continued walking. Running was a bad idea, considering that the enemy could be behind any corner.

Fate suddenly stopped, grabbed Schach by her wrist, and pulled her into a cell so dark that it was impossible to see even their own hands.

Fate's instinct proved correct—the sound of sliding metal grew louder with every second, then fell silent. Her heart was beating so fast that she feared the enemy could hear it, that they would smell them out and kill them.

Something crashed into a wall not too far away and the sound of metal sliding over metal started again. It grew louder and louder.

Fate felt genuinely afraid by the time the sound finally reached them. She couldn't see anything, but the metal sliding sound stopped for a few seconds. The monster must be right in front of them…

"_Eysir meil cheir…_"

The words rang in Fate's ears. Schach was so terrified that she was shaking in fear. She grabbed Fate's hand and squeezed it as hard as she could. Fate was more composed than that and kept quiet.

The sliding sound started again and became more distant with time. They waited until it had completely vanished before they dared speak.

"Let's get out of here," Schach whispered faintly.

"Go." Fate led Schach out of the cell and down the hall. She instantly decided that they would leave this place and use both of the bombs they had. Maybe they could take out whatever that thing was.

That plan was all but forgotten when they heard an ear-piercing cry. Apparently, there were still people hiding in the complex. To make it even worse, Fate _recognized_ that cry.

"That was Shari!" Her instinct and reason told her to run away as far as she could, as quickly as she could, and bomb the prison to hell. But her heart told her otherwise.

Fate turned to Schach. "You get them out. I'll distract Tyr." Schach's face was pale. "_Now!_"

Fate rushed towards the source of the cry and activated Zamber mode of Bardiche. The sound of a body being torn to pieces filled the air. Fate hoped she was not too late.

She turned the corner, Schach close behind, and found what they were looking for.

It was Tyr. She was holding the upper and lower body of a woman Fate didn't know in each of her hands. The woman had been ripped in two, right through the middle. Guts and blood poured from the pieces. Fate suddenly felt like throwing up.

But there they were, Shari _and_ Mariel. They were still alive!

"Isis?" Tyr started to laugh upon seeing Fate. The Asari woman's shark-like teeth shone even under extremely poor light conditions like these. "Have you come…to become part of me?"

Fate didn't even wait for the thing to react. She rammed the Zamber blade right into Tyr's face so hard that the tip of the blade jutted out of the back of Tyr's head. Fate expected the thing to at least fall unconscious, but nothing happened. More than half of her face was missing, but a strong arm still grabbed Bardiche's blade and exerted pressure on it. Cracks in the blade immediately started to form.

"_Schach!_" Fate cried.

The sister moved past the blinded Asari and grabbed the two engineers, pulling them along with her down the hallway. The Asari's left hand aimlessly grabbed the air around it, trying to grab Fate, while the other hand slowly pulled the blade out of her head.

Fate was definitely ready to get out of there, but she had to give Schach and the others time to get a head start. She knew she wouldn't last a minute as soon as Tyr recovered her eyesight and found her weapon. As far as Fate knew, this particular Asari was almost immortal in the literal sense. Even with half her head missing, Tyr was still moving and trying to kill her!

"_Plasma Zamber Smasher!_" Fate executed the blast directly into Tyr's body. The entire head exploded and large parts of her right arm and upper torso were blasted away. She fell to the ground, still moving and trying to balance herself. Fate stood there, struck with horror as she watched the tissue regenerating. It was definitely time to go!

"_Sonic Move!_" Fate ignored the raging pain in her arm when she crashed into a wall. Somehow she hit the ground running and didn't stop until she caught up with her three comrades.

"Did you…?" Shari looked at her and her question was answered by a scream that chilled all of them to the bone.

"You can't really kill that thing. I blew its entire head off and it still moved!" Fate said. She stopped, panting, and turned around. "Time to put some obstacles between us and it." Fate could already feel the ground vibrating under the powerful steps of the Asari, running to catch them.

"_Plasma Lancer!_" Fate started to indiscriminately destroy the ceiling. It only took three shots before the complex started to come down. Thank God the other three had continued to run. Fate caught up with them in an instant.

The sound of stone and walls crashing violently caught up to them, along with multiple roars that couldn't possibly come from something human.

They ran for their lives. They'd finally made it outside when Schach and Fate stopped, armed their bombs, and threw them into the entrance to the underground prison before they continued to run. Shari took cover behind a massive tree, thinking it was a regular bomb, until Fate pulled her violently along with her, moving at sonic speed to get away. She lost track of where Schach was in the thick forest, but it didn't matter, Fate knew she would make it.

The explosion was silent and deafening at the same time. The initial explosion destroyed the complex, the camp and a good deal of the forest. The following implosion put their strength to the test. The suction was immense. Chrono had given them some dangerous stuff.

Fate didn't even care to look back. She was sure that thing would regenerate even if reduced to smoldering ashes.

=== Limitless ===

Nanoha was one of the few people still able to walk. She had gotten away without any injuries. Together with Carim and Zafira, it was her job to make sure none of the Asari regenerated. It was a gruesome job, and it was disgusting work, but it had to be done.

She soon learned that a forceful, aimed shot through the forehead was enough to take out even an Asari. Zafira preferred to simply take off the entire head, and so did Carim. They had absolutely no mercy or pity on the enemy.

Of the forty people Chrono had used, only sixteen had survived. That number included the squad leaders. And their enemy had only been a no-name recon troop.

Chrono called everyone back to the base. The area was devastated. Nanoha's Starlight Breaker had created a crater over two hundred feet wide and over thirty feet deep. Carim and Zafira had destroyed most of the forest and part of the area was flooded from Chrono's now-melted ice.

"_We need to hurry up our plans. Cut any breaks for the technicians. ETA for us to abandon base: six hours._"

Chrono's voice echoed throughout the base. Everywhere Nanoha looked people were packing and loading up supplies. She had yet to see this ship they called _Black Thunder_ but Chrono had told her that it was a new model, designed by the top technicians of the resistance. From the specs, it was designed to be faster, bigger, and more powerful than the _White Devil_ was right now.

Nanoha had no chance to sit down and rest. Nobody was allowed to rest. She was deeply worried about Fate, but the work and her exhaustion kept her mind somewhat in check. It had been two hours after the attack when Chrono called for Nanoha.

"What happened to your arm?" Nanoha immediately jumped at Fate, looking at the bandages on her arm. Fate put her lover to mental rest with a quick kiss before she could get any more worried.

"I was just giving Chrono my report," Fate said with a smile, and pulled Nanoha closer so they could hold hands before turning back to Chrono.

"Sir, we entered the complex and found everyone dead, civilians as well as soldiers. There was no one spared. We went deeper into the complex and Sister Schach had an enemy encounter with Tyreithar, one of the leading Asari. Her unit was killed before my unit and I had the chance to interfere. I was only able to save Sister Schach. I lost the rest of my unit to the monster. We proceeded to retreat and search for survivors. Eventually, the Asari tracked down the survivors Mariel Atenza and Shari Finieno and engaged to kill them. I attacked the enemy and caused what should have been a lethal wound. I took half its head off. Sister Schach rescued both subjects while I took off its entire head and most of its upper torso. In the way of doing so, my device was damaged. I retreated and caught up with Sister Schach when we heard the enemy pursue us. We successfully escaped, detonated both ADBs and returned to base. That is all." Fate opened a bottle of water someone had given her and took a large gulp. She was not used to giving such detailed reports.

"You're lucky to be alive, Fate," Chrono told her. "Tyreithar is well known for her indiscriminate murder and slaughter of people, humans, and Asari alike. We know little about her magic besides the fact that she is, in the most literal sense, immortal. We have records of her entire body being incinerated. As you saw for yourself, she's still around."

Chrono got up and looked at the terminal behind him. "Schach is in the infirmary, together with Shari and Mariel. Since they are the whole reason you came down here, I will hand them over to the _White Devil_ as soon as possible. Also, you were really helpful. I don't think we would be standing where we are without you."

He turned around and opened the door. "I'll show you what we have been working on for some time now. It's a top-secret project, actually. Or at least it was, until the Asari destroyed nearly the entire TSAB."

Nanoha was still holding Fate's hand, looking worried, while they walked closely behind Chrono. They followed him into a lift that brought them even further underground.

The massive ship before them was breathtaking. The size was bigger than a destroyer but not quite as big as a dreadnought. The entire hull was coated in some kind of black material. It was a hybrid type, a unique model. Fate was all over it, looking at it from different angles.

"We took some advice from Hayate and installed ship-orbital weapon platforms for bombardment spells. We saw how devastating Hayate was when attacking the Asari fleet." Chrono walked over to a single soldier who was seemingly overseeing things. "How are the preparations?"

"Excellent," the soldier answered. "We are actually ahead of schedule. We had several heavy objects we were trying to figure out how to move, and that wolf-man thing just picked them up like they were toys and loaded them on board. Permission to speak freely, sir?" Chrono was a little surprised, but nodded. "Sir, that thing is damn awesome. I want one like that. Sir."

Chrono broke out in laughter when he tried to imagine how Hayate would react if she heard people talk like that about Zafira. He calmed down quickly, though, and got back to work. "When can we leave?"

"Anytime, sir. The only thing left to do are non-essentials." The soldier checked his list. "Yes, only two of the eight non-essentials are left."

"Good. Finish loading, then we will—" Chrono was interrupted by alarm sirens and a female voice. It was Carim.

"_Red alert, red alert! A massive Asari force has been sighted on its way here. There are four destroyer-class warships. Among them is the _Invincible_! All hands to are to board the _Black Thunder_. I repeat, all hands are to board the _Black Thunder_ immediately!_"

Carim was the only other person to give executive orders beside Chrono, but most of the time, she let Chrono handle that job.

"Move, move!" People started shouting, dropping things left and right, rushing to board the massive ship.

"Nanoha, Fate, go inside and stand by. This is gonna be a bumpy ride." Chrono grabbed his device from his pocket, changed to barrier jacket mode, and boarded the ship.

Once inside, he opened up a secure terminal and a channel to the whole ship. "_Black Thunder_, this is Admiral Chrono Harlaown. We will not engage into low-orbital fight with the Asari fleet. Our course is 7-6-7-82-42-60. Once we reach orbit, we will attempt to break through the Asari fleet by firing the Orihalcon. All hands on battle stations!"

Chrono hurried for the bridge while the last few people boarded the vessel. Nanoha and Fate were already heading to the weapons platform by the time the doors closed. The sick and injured had already been brought on board previously.

"_All personnel of S-rank and above are to take hand on the weapon platforms._"

Nanoha and Fate took one platform together while Carim took one for herself. Zafira was in the engine room, having plans of his own.

Chrono watched the top of the mountain crumble as the _Black Thunder_ broke through it. People on the bridge had a good view of the enemy fleet. The _Invincible_ was a light destroyer, commanded by Hyreisa, the youngest of the four Asari. Their only chance of getting away was to launch a surprise attack and then retreat.

"_Weapon platforms, open fire!_" Chrono's words were pretty clear to every mage on the ship.

"Nanoha!" Fate and Nanoha crossed their devices and aimed at the ship that flew at the highest altitude. But the enemy started shooting before they had time to open fire. A whole barrage of bullets hit the shield of the ship.

Carim loaded two rounds of cartridges, planning to take out the destroyer that was right in front of the _Invincible_. Zeus was glowing, so hot that it burned Carim's hand. But she was able to handle the enormous power. "_And so it was said…_"

First, nothing happened. Then, small balls, maybe the size of footballs, appeared in the thousands around the destroyer until there were tens of thousands of energy balls. The ship tried to retreat, but Carim was merciless. "…_and so it shall be!_"

The glistening impact of the energy balls were almost simultaneous with Nanoha's and Fate's combined attack. A mixed beam of pink and yellow energy shot at the destroyer and hit it directly. Two of the destroyer ships lost altitude quickly, and the one Carim attacked showed signs of fire all over the place.

Nanoha leaned against Fate, passed out from over-using her magic. Fate wasn't in any condition to carry her out of there, so she simply laid Nanoha against a wall and sat next to her. They had done their part.

"Admiral, we are taking heavy fire from the _Invincible_! They are somehow getting past our shields!" Chrono knew exactly what the problem was. Hyreisa's ship was utilizing her unique magic. No amount of shields would—

"Sir! There is…something weird going on with our shields! Output is at…280% and rising!"

Chrono opened a channel to the engine room. "What the hell are you doing down there?"

"Sir! That weird wolf thing made us link him up to the shield generators! We thought he was doing so on your orders!" The engineers were confused and looked slightly weirded out as they glanced back at Zafira, who was creating a shield around the whole ship.

"Output at 340% and rising! We have stopped taking fire from the _Invincible_, sir!"

Chrono sighed. There had to be a limit to ridiculous. "Let him do what he wants! Follow his orders!" He closed the channel to the engine room. "Full power to the engine and propulsion! Charge the Orihalcon! Fire on my command at 82-75-20!"

The _Black Thunder_ was too fast for the _Invincible_ and the destroyer ships and entered the stratosphere in a matter of minutes. It was an incredibly fast ship; Fate could already see the emptiness of space from where she was.

"The Asari blockade has opened fire on us!" someone reported.

"How are our shields?" Chrono was sure that even Zafira couldn't keep them up indefinitely. Not at this scale and under this heavy fire. There was a literal torrent of bullets and beams crashing against the shield.

"285% and falling, sir!" There was enough time.

"Adjust Orihalcon for firing!" Chrono opened a small console, entered his security code, and waited until the big main cannon on the front of the ship was ready.

"Orihalcon output critical! Estimated blast radius is incalculable!"

Chrono pushed a key and watched as everything unfolded in slow motion. The Orihalcon shot a single multicolored beam right through four of the Asari ships, destroying them all. Ship by ship, the enemy fleet was crippled.

"_Get us out of here!_"

"Sir! The _Eternal_ is right behind us!"

Chrono turned around and looked at the radar. That was absolutely impossible! How could a ship that large suddenly appear out of…but of course! That was _Vysfila's_ flagship!

Chrono didn't know what to do. The Orihalcon shot was used up and they would need to change the shell to fire another blast. And no one on board, or even in the entire galaxy, could stand up to the thing aboard the _Eternal_. They couldn't outrun the _Eternal_. Nobody could.

"Orders, sir? _Sir!_" People started shouting, but there was nothing Chrono could do.

Zafira opened a communication channel all of a sudden, talking directly to Chrono. "_Tell them to put everything you got into the engine and head for 21-72-40!_"

Chrono saw little hope in what Zafira wanted, but Zafira wasn't the kind of man who was easily ignored.

"Sir, shield output is…it's off the charts!" a soldier reported.

"Put everything to the engine. Reserves, everything! Head for 21-72-40. Do it _now!_" Chrono yelled, and watched people follow his orders.

Not even he knew what Zafira was planning.

=== End of Mission Five ===


	6. Death's

A/N: Since I have hellish bad luck with picking / finding editors, I'm going to release LSS and HMS without editor for now.

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission Six ===

**Death's**

"I'm sorry Shamal, but things don't always go as planned. I have to do this." Hayate was in her full battle armor, her Schwertkreuz staff in one hand and the Tome of the Nightsky in the other. Everyone else was already in position. Zafira had reached Hayate with his telepathy and informed her of the situation. Hayate had reacted immediately and issued standing orders to prepare for the biggest battle yet. They had to save Nanoha, Fate, Zafira and the others, save everyone on board of the _Black Thunder_.

"Agito. Rein. I am counting on you." Hayate left Shamal and headed to the primary orbital weapon platform, ready to put everything on the line to get her friends and allies out of there. They were just in range for what they needed to do. Reinforce and Teana were on the bridge, taking care of navigation. Subaru and Vita were reinforcing the shields generator while Signum was taking guard in the hangar in case enemies boarded the ship.

"Hayate, do you really want to do this?" Rein was not sure they could handle it now. Her relationship with Agito had gotten a bit better, but it wasn't at a point of where they should try this.

"There is no choice. I am not even sure this will be enough but I trust you two that you can handle this." Hayate knew that this could well mean her demise. The last time, she almost died and it was just using magical energy to move. This time she would use all her power to unleash one of the three forbidden spells from the Tome.

"Leave the mana regulation to me Rein." Agito looked at the other mini girl for a brief moment and gave her a nod. Agito knew she had to do her best too although she was still very uncomfortable doing this because it was dangerous to them too.

Hayate finally reached the weapon platform and took position. She swung the staff three times over her head and a triangular magic circle appeared where the staff had moved through the air. "Schwertkreuz!" Hayate exclaimed and loaded the first set of cartridges. The spells were forbidden because there was no known mage who could use them without exerting their whole life force. Spells of almost unknown destructive power.

"We're ready." Rein said, floating to the left of Hayate, while Agito was to the right. Hayate took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Any emotional spikes could disrupt the fine balance that was needed for what they were trying to do.

"Dualis!" The three of them said at once and Hayate almost immediately felt her legs give in. There was a massive amount of energy at her disposal, but her body simply couldn't handle it. Rein and Agito were in unison with Hayate, but it wasn't stabilizing, causing Hayate's knight armor to be split into a white and black scheme.

Agito clenched her teeth and threw her pride away, grabbing Rein's left hand and trying to stabilize the unison with Rein's help. She tried as hard as she could to sync up her magic power with Rein's, to make this work and Rein joined her efforts. Hayate felt a splitting pain in her head, but the black and white scheme was fading away slowly.

Rein and Agito both shared the pain that Hayate was feeling but kept going. Their synchronization rate was increasing steadily and the messed up scheme was almost gone. The pain ceased to be when Hayate's Knight armor was taking on a golden scheme. Agito and Rein had managed to stabilize the unison without causing a power conflict between the three parties.

Rein was still holding Agito's hand, who now concentrated on her part of the deal, the mana management. A job much harder than she would have thought. They had not reached a synchronization rate of over sixty percent, but even that was already releasing an immense amount of power.

"I am starting the incantation." Hayate opened the Tome of the Nightsky and skipped to it's last pages, explaining the forbidden spells and listing the incantation. Those were remnants from the Book of Darkness, great spells of mass destruction and terror.

=== Limitless ===

"Sir, there is an unidentified ship approaching from 22-70-41. On it's current course, it will pass us in five minutes!" One of the soldiers reported to Chrono who was more than just busy managing every report and the crisis he was in. Zafira's shield was saving the Black Thunder from the onslaught of the Eternal behind them, but not for much longer. And he knew who that unidentified ship was.

A screen opened in front of Chrono and Zafira's face appeared on it. "Prepare all stations for an emergency! Hayate will fire Deus at the Eternal to buy us time to escape!" The only thing Zafira knew about the spell was that Hayate was using dualis, dual unison, to use it. He could feel both Rein's and Agito's presence with Hayate.

Chrono lost no time and issued new orders. "All stations prepare for taking heavy damage!" He didn't know what kind of spell Hayate was going to use, but he was fully aware of her latent powers and just how much destruction she could sow. A single warship was no match for her fire power.

Chrono could literally feel the spell coming. Time seemed to slow down and people were moving in slow-motion, shaking and screaming. There was a high-pitched noise in their heads and Chrono felt an unknown sickness in his stomach. When he put the outside of the ship on a screen, he only got static. There was no way to view what was going on outside the ship.

And then he felt the impact. It was like someone put him into a tiny cardboard box and then shook it with all their might. The ship was thrown around in space, and the artificial gravity on board of the ship was setting out, making Chrono fly to the celling and crash against walls.

The ship shook one more time violently and gravity returned, making Chrono hit the floor after falling down from a wall. What had just happened? "Put the outside on the screen! Whoever is wounded, put up with it for now!" Chrono commanded and people tried to get back on their stations. There was too much interference to get an image but one solder reported something.

"Sir... there seems to be a... how do I explain this..." The soldier did not look like he was simply incapable of saying it but more struggling how he would explain it.

"Sir, there seems to be a growing black hole between us and the eternal. It is pulling us in." The soldier felt silly reporting such a thing. Black holes did not appear out of nowhere. There was an extremely complex and time intensive process involved that turned a star into a black hole.

Zafira's face appeared on a screen again. Blood was running over his face and he was panting. He was clearly wounded, but that was not Chrono's biggest worry. "Put everything to the engines! We need to get out of here." Chrono didn't need Zafira to tell him that if there really was a black hole.

The ship shook another time violently. "Sir, the Asari fleet is retreating. The Eternal is retreating as well. They stopped firing at us." Chrono was now sure that report earlier was no mistake. Hayate must be responsible for that.

"Head to the unidentified ship! Thats the White Devil, our ally." Chrono thought the fight over but he couldn't have been more wrong than that. Then the true fight was only beginning.

Nanoha entered the bridge together with Fate, both of them bleeding from numerous spots and their foreheads. While they were still wearing their barrier jackets, it was obvious to the naked eye that they were exhausted. "What is happening Chrono?" Nanoha demanded an answer and stepped up to the admiral.

"Hayate fired one of her spells right past us and now there's a black hole. We're retreating!" Chrono, Nanoha and Fate slowly lifted off the ground when the artificial gravity lost control. One soldier, quite adept at moving in zero gravity environments, reported to Chrono, floating almost exactly on eye-height a few meters away.

"Sir, the black hole is pulling us in! Unless we find a way to increase the engine output, we will be crushed by the spatial pressure in roughly ten minutes!" Chrono was all but relieved to hear this. The Eternal was without doubt going to make it, so they couldn't perish here. The Black Thunder was needed badly.

"We'll do it." Nanoha grabbed Fate's hand and gave Chrono a brief, knowing look. He didn't say anything, despite knowing that it was absolutely reckless. Nanoha always did those reckless things and had gotten hurt so many times, but he still couldn't stop her. They would all die if someone didn't do something. The artificial gravity returned and Nanoha and Fate left the bridge.

Nanoha, closely followed by Fate, was on her way to the engine room. People were running through the corridors everywhere and panicking over the situation. But Nanoha wouldn't let this happen, there was simply too much at stake.

When they arrived in the engine room, they met Zafira, who was being carried away, still conscious but devoid of magic power. "Save the ship!" The two people that carried him away were giving Nanoha and Fate hopeful looks for a second, but upon noticing how beat they were, that hope faded quickly.

"Raging Heart, Saint Mode." Nanoha switched to a new, improved version of her Exceed mode, which was even bulkier and stronger than the previous Exceed mode. It lacked a lot of offensive power compared to the basic Exceed barrier jacket but provided excellent protection. The number of field generators was multiplied by six, several on her arms, legs, shoulders, two on each glove and four on her head and shoes. The barrier jacket was sporting a magic-steel enforced skirt, guard plates on arms and legs as well as a protective pink visor over her eyes.

"Bardiche, Thor Form." Fate very rarely used that particular mode of her barrier jacket. She had developed it after the Scaglietti incident and was designed to withstand powerful attacks from all sides. It was similar in form to Nanoha's Saint Mode but was less heavy. Fate's Thor Barrier Jacket included armored long pants, steel gloves and steel plate on her shoes and shoulders. It was a almost completely black.

Both those modes were almost useless in fights against quick opponents because they slowed down their user too much. But the massive protection they provided was made for bombardment acts and things like entering a reactor room. While Fate developed her Thor form shortly after the Scaglietti incident, Nanoha did not create her Saint form until after the Reactor event on the White Devil.

The door to the actual reactor room was so hot and heavy that Nanoha still needed Fate's help to open it. Despite the energy protection and the shields, the heat was burning Nanoha's and Fate's skin. It was almost complete suicide to step into the reactor room while it was still being used. But their barrier jackets protected them from the radiation and the heat. At least for now.

"Raging Heart, Barrier Burst." "Bardiche, Barrier Burst." The two went to full protection and still suffered from the heat and the radiation. Nanoha felt sick and Fate could barely stand. It was a whole different level from the smaller reactor on the White Devil. It was running on maximum power too.

There was no way they could put their hand on that thing. It would simply burn them to death in seconds. What were they supposed to do? Nanoha hadn't expected the reactor to be this hot. It was almost killing them just standing there, barely inside the chamber.

But help came in time. "Freezing Rage!" Chrono fired a blast of energy right past Nanoha and Fate, on the reactor, which was covered with thick ice in a matter of seconds. "Don't stand there like puppets! The reactor is incredibly hot! My ice won't hold for long!" Chrono was breathing heavily, having run all the way from the bridge to the engine room.

Nanoha and Fate stepped closer to the reactor despite the still blazing heat. But the reactor itself was cooled down enough to place their hands on it without suffering massive burnings. "Are you ready Fate?" Nanoha waited for her partner to nod and then gave the order. "Raging Heart, load cartridge!" Nanoha loaded a full magazine and directed the newfound energy right into the reactor which got hotter with every second.

"Bardiche, load cartridge!" Fate followed up shortly after. They could hear engineers scream and yell things to each other outside but they had no attention to spare. It took all they had to keep up the barriers and simultaneously feed the reactor with energy to put it past a hundred percent output.

"Freezing Rage!" Chrono fired another salve at the reactor and it froze the feet and hands of the two women for the moment. But the reactor's heat was increasing with it's magical power and the ice only remained so long before it was completely dissipated in the air.

Nanoha was all out of cartridges, and so was Fate. They still fed the reactor with their own magical energy, but they could not go on for much longer. Nanoha and Fate both suffered burns on their hand by now and the heat made them feel dim. "Master, Saint mode is approaching critical limit." Raging Heart reported.

"Thor form is also approaching critical limit." Bardiche reported right after Raging Heart. Nanoha knew that staying any longer would definitely kill them the second they reverted their barrier jackets.

"Get out of there!" Chrono shouted, seconds before he was thrown to the ground. The ship shook again and again and the reactor was getting so hot that Nanoha feared it would go critical and explode. Nanoha grabbed Fate and pulled her out of the room, just before they were reaching their limits. Soldiers and engineers pushed the door close, all of them wearing protective gear against the radiation and the heat.

"Sir, we've left the gravitational pull of the black hole!" One soldier reported, shortly followed by another soldier with a different report. "Sir, the White Devil is hailing us. Someone called Lanster is asking to speak with you." Chrono lost no time, opened a regular channel right where he was and put Teana on the screen.

"Dock your ship with the White Devil. Do it now! We need to get out of here, fast!" Teana didn't care that she was talking to an admiral of the TSAB. The energy readings from the black hole were completely off the charts. The Asari fleet had already left and was heading away from the black hole at full speed.

Chrono trusted Hayate's staff because he remembered that Lanster had also been part of the Riot 6. "Do what she says, prepare for docking maneuvers immediately!" Chrono headed back for the bridge to take control of things. Nanoha and Fate could take care of themselves for now. The two women were tended to by the crew members and moved out of the engine room because they were in the way now.

Chrono arrived on the bridge in a matter of minutes, exhausted and out of breath. He watched the White Devil approach on a screen and was amazed just how big that ship had gotten. It was similar to the Black Thunder but build with completely different technology from just it looks. He was aware of the ALIAS system on board but couldn't believe just how alien the ship looked as compared to the Black Thunder.

"Sir, we have successfully docked and stabilized with the White Devil. Orders?" One soldier was reporting seconds before his voice was overpowered by alarm sirens going on all over the ship.

A screen popped up right in front of Chrono. "This will be bumpy. Hold on." Teana, on the bridge of the White Devil, was being assisted by Signum, Vita and Subaru, who all did their part to adjust the ship to make a short hyperspace jump.

Reinforce was sitting in a chair in the middle of the bridge, and doing calculations at a speed far beyond other computer was capable of. "XZ axis confirmed. Navigational system all green. Power output at sixty-five percent. Adjustment for four hundred million tons additional weight made." Teana watched a long series of coordinates run down the screen.

A jump through space was one of the most dangerous things one could ever do. To jump with another ship attached was even worse. But Teana believed in her own skills and Reinforce to make this happen. From what Hayate had told them, they needed to get out of there immediately.

"ZZ axis confirmed. Coordinates confirmed. Navigational system all green. Power output at eighty-seven percent. Ready for jump." Reinforce said and Teana entered her own security code into the terminal.

"Temporal stabilizer, all range green." Signum checked the display one last time. All values within range of marginal error. She too, entered her security code.

"Chronological ISS fixated on target coordinates. All green." Subaru entered her security code. That was three of four.

"Spatial stabilizer, all range green." Vita saw that the values for marginal error were slightly off the green, but considering the situation that was the best she could do. She entered her security code.

The lights in the two ships went out and the four women on the bridge of the White Devil looked at Reinforce. "Hyperspace jump security code confirmed. Attempting hyperspace jump to dimensional coordinates ISSF-2983-2993-0051-2032-ZZTE. Commencing jump in ten... nine..."

Reinforce continued her countdown while Teana opened a channel to the Black Thunder. "Hold on to something!" There had been no time to actually explain what they were doing. Hayate had completely miscalculated how destructive the spell would be, and not thought about the counter measures the Asari would have.

That spell was too dangerous to use. "Commencing jump."

And with a burst of multi-colored lightning, the White Devil and Black Thunder vanished from space just in time.

Right above Mid-Childa was the black hole collapsing and growing. The leader of the Asari had created a temporal prison for the energy blast from Hayate Yagami, to avoid massive damage to her fleet. And now, the energy was running wild after being compressed in the singularity of the black hole.

The people on Mid-Childa were starring at the sky as an infinite light filled the skies. As the atmosphere started to burn and the energy blast extended as if in slow-motion. It was like the birth of a star.

People stood with their eyes wide, with the mouths open and their hearts faltering as they watched the light consume everything. Their awe for the spectacle was terror. Terror so great that their very minds stopped working, unable to understand what was happening to them.

With a last, silent and graceful, movement, the blast consumed the planet. There were no lives lost. No property destroyed. Not a single tree was burned. But it all stopped. When the blast finally stopped extending, it had consumed half the solar system. And at it's core was Mid-Childa.

Frozen in time. For all eternity.

=== Limitless ===

"Status reports!" Chrono shouted in the darkness of the bridge. Lights were all off, power was off, communicating wasn't working. The ship was dead in space. But at least life support was working as far as he could tell. Gravitation control was off as well, and he was sure he was on the celling.

"Sir, all main terminal's aren't responding. There is some kind of massive static." Chrono was losing his mind. He knew exactly what had just happened. A hyperspace jump. To move through a theoretical area of space that allowed things to go at many times the speed of light. It was basically mass teleportation. But that technology had been abandoned because of the risks it involved.

Many ships were lost forever, to never be found, during experiments. And now, he was probably on one of those ships.

"Sir, we have visual of the area." Someone reported. A big screen popped up in the air, almost directly in front of Chrono. What he saw shocked him so much that he had difficulty breathing. Right in front of them were the remains of the TSAB. Hundreds, thousands of corpses and debris was floating around in space. More than two-third of the headquarters were completely destroyed. The rest was without atmosphere or any sign of survivors.

"Sir, a message from the White Devil."

"Chrono... me... in... talk... we... board...Hayate...need help!" There was so much noise that Chrono could barely understand anything. But two words he could very clearly make out. 'Need help.'

"Find me Takamachi and Harlaown and the wolf thing. Get our best magic specialized medic. We are boarding the White Devil. We have to assume code twelve." Chrono issued orders as slowly the lights came back up and the ships reactor restarted. Everything was in chaos. Terminals were destroyed, people wounded or death. And if things over on the White Devil were similar...

"Code twelve?" One soldier asked another, looking through the records of their medics on board.

"General down. That means Hayate Yagami is down over on the White Devil..." The soldier wasn't too thrilled about the idea that one of their last aces was down.

Chrono hurried everyone along. He didn't know what was wrong with Hayate, but there was no time to try long and wide to get a clean channel with the White Devil.

=== Limitless ===

Signum's knight armor was smudgy with blood, Hayate's blood. Vita was sitting leaned on the wall in the otherwise dark and empty corridor. Signum just stood there, miserable with herself. Shamal was inside the room, one of the few rooms that had working light and power, together with Hayate.

"She's... gonna be alright, right? Signum?" Vita's voice was barely more than a whisper. She had seen Nanoha badly wounded before, but seeing her mistress like that sent her into shock. She was still in her knight armor from before.

Teana and Subaru were trying to restore power to the ship. Reinforce had blacked out right after the jump and most of the ship was without power. Signum had an ominous feeling and went to check on Hayate right after the jump.

Her body was a mess and in a puddle of blood. Her golden knight armor was soaked with her blood. Signum couldn't think of anything but to grab Hayate and carry her to Shamal, tears in her eyes and screaming for her friend to help their mistress.

Signum wanted to tell Vita she would be alright. But she couldn't. When she found Hayate, she hadn't been breathing and had already lost so much blood... Signum hit the wall with her fist. She would give her live for Hayate, but it didn't work that way.

Teana came running down the corridor, followed by a few people Signum wasn't able to recognize. "Signum, where is-" Signum quickly pointed at the door right next to her and Teana pointed for one of the guys to enter while the others waited. "Is everyone else alright?" Teana asked and checked if Signum or Vita were okay.

One of the people that accompanied Teana checked on Vita and while he found her in shock, that was not life threatening. "Sir, we have many wounded on board. I am sure Dr. Regal can handle this." Chrono ignored the medic's comment and put his hand on Signum's shoulder.

"Is Shamal with her?" Signum briefly nodded, only recognizing Chrono now that he stood right before her.

"Go, get back to the ship. If they still haven't found Takamachi and Harlaown, find them A-S-A-P." Chrono turned to Teana and she could see that he was angry.

"What did you perform a hyperspace jump? We were getting away from the black hole just fine and the Asari were retreating." Teana grabbed Chrono's hand and pulled him away. She didn't want to have that kind of argument in front of Signum and Vita, who were clearly in shock.

"Because otherwise we would have been caught in the explosion. The black hole wasn't a treat. It was just a container for the blast. Hayate fired something called Deus at the Asari. A spell that rips apart time and space and only leaves space. At least that is what she told us before we were busy planning how to get you guys out of there alive! The entire planet is... probably by now..." Teana tried to keep up a face of anger and annoyance but she just couldn't. They had essentially destroyed Mid-Childa. Almost everyone they ever knew. Billions of people. All of them gone.

Chrono couldn't believe what he heard. A spell that ripped time from space? No wonder that was forbidden. But they needed Hayate. She was one, if not the most powerful mage they had left. A soldier came running down the hallway just seconds after Chrono had heard the news.

"Sir, I was ordered to report the status of high ranking personal by the chief medical officer." He pulled a short list and summoned a small magic orb to read it. "Captain Nanoha Takamachi, moderate injuries, unconscious. Captain Fate T. Harlaown, heavy injuries, unconscious. Knight Carim of the Saint Church is in critical condition. The wolf saved the lives of two dozen workers in the engine room and suffered heavy injuries, also unconscious. Sister Schach of the Saint Church, slightly injured, currently helping out with organizing people." He saluted and waited for Chrono's reaction.

"Get them looked at. Anyone who is not in life threatening condition will have to wait. Make sure we don't lose any people. Go." Chrono buried his face in his hands and sighed. That was not how he imagined the departure from the planet. He turned to talk to Teana, who was still there. "Tell me when you know how Hayate is. I'm needed on the Black Thunder." He left, not without putting his hand on Teana's shoulder and stop her silent sobbing.

=== Limitless ===

Shamal had worked until her fingers could no longer move, until her mind was so full of the images of blood, gore and pain that she couldn't even stand anymore. Hayate had avoided death, but paid a very heavy price for her foolishness.

"What do you mean, dependency?" Signum was not sure what Shamal was trying to say. The Knight of the Lake was so tired that she had difficulty speaking. She had done everything she could to save Hayate, but there were some things she just couldn't do. She was no miracle worker.

"Her body was overloaded with magic. She would have died on the spot if not for being in dual unison. In one way, it saved her life." Shamal was sitting in the infirmary, next to Hayate's bed. She was wearing a breathing mask and almost her entire body was bandaged.

"But her body still couldn't handle it. I am not sure what exactly happened, because I never even heard of dual unison before. But as it is now, it seems her bodily functions will inevitably fail unless she regularly uses the dual unison to fix the magic leaks in her system." Shamal was trying to connect the dots, but even she couldn't be absolutely sure of everything.

"So she just has to go into dual unison. At least Hayate isn't gonna die!" Vita was quite agitated.

"That is the problem. The dual unison also hurts her body. The more often she does it without perfect synchronization, which I believe is impossible, the more often she will need to use it until it reaches a point where she will die the moment she stops it." Shamal could no longer restrain herself from crying. As it stood, Hayate was going to die very soon, one way or another.

"So... so... if she doesn't use the dual unison... the magic will kill her. If she uses it... she will die too? Then what are we supposed to do?" Vita felt sick and was as pale as a ghost.

"I... don't know. I can't think of anything that would save her. There are myriads of tiniest leaks in her magic system. Nobody can fix those. And each time she goes into unison with the two of them... her body grows more dependent on it and the leaks get worse." Shamal looked over to two small containers filled with magic liquid. Rein and Agito had both almost died as well. They had been so heavily injured that Shamal thought it a miracle they survived at all.

"How are they?" Signum asked, her look fixated on Agito. If she had never agreed to the dual unison thing, nothing of this would have happened.

"I don't know. Their core was damaged and so were their bodies. It's a miracle they're still alive. If... they don't wake up before Hayate's body fails..." Shamal just realized another pitfall of the system that could prolong Hayate's life just a little.

The three didn't realize that Teana and Subaru, who were just outside, could hear everything. Teana was crying her heart out on Subaru's shoulder. They didn't want to tell Shamal and the others the news they had just gotten from the Black Thunder.

The report was made not by Chrono but a medical officer who didn't know any of the people on board the White Devil personally. But he was still visibly troubled on passing the message. "Captain Fate T. Harlaown might possibly never see again. Her eyes were injured. And Captain Nanoha Takamachi lost her ability to speak upon hearing about Harlaown afterwards. Knight Carim is still in critical condition and... the medics don't think she will make it." That was the entire report.

Teana and Subaru were in shock for some time upon hearing the news. Fate might never see again and Nanoha lost her voice from the shock. And now they were had learned that Hayate was apparently doomed to die soon.

"How long..." Vita's voice was just a whisper now. Shamal simply shook her head, not knowing what to say.

"My best guess... a week. Maybe two. That is if Rein and Agito wake up in time." Shamal knew she didn't have to say what she was thinking. Their mistress was going to die. And that would be the end of the Wolkenritter as well.

Subaru knocked on the door, making the three Wolkenritter look up at her. Teana was right behind Subaru and didn't even try to hide that she had been crying. "I... heard everything. I... didn't really want to bring even more bad news... but I thought you should know." Subaru couldn't look them in the eyes. Hayate was her friend too, and she could barely stand being in the same room as the critically wounded woman. Her heart couldn't take it.

"Fate... lost her eyesight. Her eyes were injured. Nanoha... lost her voice after hearing about Fate... and Carim... they say she will most likely not make it." Subaru started crying midway in her report. Not only Hayate, but Nanoha and Fate too...

The five of them spent a long time in silence. Shamal passed out from exhaustion shortly after hearing about Nanoha and Fate, and Signum laid her down on a bed. She was a levelheaded person but didn't want to accept that Hayate was going to die. She loved Hayate too much to simply accept matters as were.

Vita spent the remainder of the night, or day, at Hayate's sites. Neither she, nor Rein or Agito woke up while she sat there, watching them. Signum was watching over Shamal and Vita, as well as Hayate. Nanoha and Fate had not yet returned from the Black Thunder, and Teana and Subaru were trying to distract themselves with repairing the ship. Reinforce had finally come to, but upon learning of what happened, she was not of much help. There was power in most parts of the White Devil now. On board of the Black Thunder, repairs were going badly, because of the sudden hyperspace jump and the fight with the Asari.

Nanoha, her arms and hands bandaged and some burns on her skin, was looking down at Fate's eyes. They still looked the same. The same beautiful red eyes. But they didn't move. Nanoha had cried for hours already, cried for her love. Fate had been there for her, despite all of it. But now that she couldn't hear or see Nanoha, despair held her heart in a tight grasp.

A medic with a bloodstained lab coat approached them and asked Fate a few questions. He already knew that Nanoha had lost her voice from the shock and didn't bother talking to her. He asked Fate about her pain and other things, and explained that the radiation from the generator was mostly responsible for her blindness. She would recover when the radiation dissipated, but that could take decades. And they both knew that.

Despite her injuries, Nanoha had helped Fate move to an empty quarter where they were alone. Fate was almost helpless without her eyes. She had to touch everything to get a rough idea of what she was doing. Nanoha tried her best to lead her, but it was painful to watch her lover like that. She couldn't even talk to her. "Your voice will come back Nanoha." Fate had started to simply keep her eyes closed because it had to be weird for people to be looked at by her if she couldn't see.

Nanoha opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Tears rolled down over her cheeks again when Fate hugged her, instinctively knowing what was wrong. She would stay with Nanoha. They could no longer fight, but at least they were both alive. They had asked multiple times to know how everyone on board the White Devil was, but nobody seemed to know. They would need to ask Chrono.

Said Admiral had just been informed himself of Hayate's condition by Subaru on a private channel. Teana could no longer talk about it and completely lost herself in work, trying to not think of anything. Trying to make herself believe that it would get better.

"So... Hayate is..." Chrono, after hearing about Nanoha, Fate and Carim, could no longer endure. He averted his face and looked deep in thought but Subaru knew that the strong admiral was crying. A few minutes passed before Chrono was able to get a grip. "Thank you for telling me." He wasn't able to say 'tell me before she dies'.

Subaru closed the link and looked at the ground. What would Nanoha and Fate say when they learned that Hayate didn't have much longer to live? She couldn't imagine it... Hayate was their closest friend. How would she act if Teana would lose her eyesight, her voice or was going to die?... Subaru felt sick just thinking about it.

Nanoha and Fate were moving slowly, Fate being carried to avoid her bumping into things or people, to the bridge where they thought Chrono. One of the soldiers pointed them to the officers quarters. Nanoha knocked on Chrono's door and found it open. "Chrono." Fate said once, telling him of her presence.

"Come in." Chrono wasn't exactly doing anything. He had issued orders to give medical attention to those in life threatening situation and ordered those who only had slight injuries to help with the ships repairs.

Fate didn't know where in the room Chrono was, but there was no need to raise her voice. The room was eerie silent. "Did you get into contact with the White Devil?"

"I just had a talk with Subaru." Chrono had absolutely no idea how in the world he should tell those two that Hayate was dying.

"How are things over there?" Fate could tell from his voice that the it was probably bad news. Nanoha let Fate down but still laid one arm around her. Fate was a little unstable, standing around without seeing.

"Teana and Subaru are fine... So are Shamal, Vita and Signum... physically at least." Chrono knew that hiding the truth from them would hurt them even more.

"How... is Hayate then?" Fate's voice was trembling, and she could feel Nanoha shaking.

"Subaru... told me what Shamal said. She overextended herself too much and irreparably damaged her magic system in dual unison. Her body will suffer from magic poisoning without regularly using the dual unison... but if she uses it, the damage will grow until the unison can no longer compensate." Chrono tried to put it as neutral as possible, but they could hear that his voice was giving in to his feelings.

"So... so.. either way... Hayate..." Fate could feel Nanoha grab her hand so tightly that it hurt a little.

"Shamal said, even if she uses the dual unison until it can no longer compensate... she has one... maybe two weeks." Chrono covered his eyes with his left hand. "She says there is nothing anyone can do." Chrono couldn't even look at them.

Nanoha cried in total silence while Fate sunk to her knees. Hayate... was going to die. And there was nothing they could do. All of a sudden, losing her eye-sight didn't seem that bad anymore. Or losing her voice. Hayate... would die.

=== Limitless ===

Nanoha and Fate stayed on board of the Black Thunder, where repairs were making slow but steady progress. Subaru and Teana managed to get most systems on the White Devil back running. Over a whole day passed. There was no change in Fate or Nanoha's condition. They remained as they were. Zafira had woken up and had been informed of Hayate's condition. He took it badly, laying in an empty quarter for hours. Carim had survived barely but was scared for life. A big scar right on her stomach and multiple on her arms and legs. She was still in critical condition and would remain so for a while.

Hayate had not woken up and her condition had worsened from before. Shamal was always at her side, and so were Signum and Vita. Nobody was cold enough to ask them to leave their mistress side. Rein and Agito had woken up half a day after Shamal told everyone of Hayate's condition. They felt guilty for agreeing to do what they did. Nobody blamed them, but they blamed themselves.

Rein and Agito were sitting in a corner of the infirmary and looked over at the unconscious Hayate. They didn't speak a word but they comforted each other even like that. Shamal had explained everything to them. And that it was up to them to decide whether they wanted to prolong Hayate's life just a little longer, but also make her suffer as her body would slowly break down. Or to let her die in peace, soon.

Agito was holding Rein's hand. Despite the short time they had spent trying to get along, she had come to like Rein. She didn't blame her even now. "Hayate always said she would give her life for her friends... but I never thought it would really happen." Rein was grateful that Agito was there with her.

But Hayate would not wake up. Shamal gave her one more day to wake up before it was too late. Even if Agito and Rein wanted to, they could not enter unison with Hayate while she was unconscious. So if Hayate wouldn't wake up... they all would not see the day after tomorrow.

Nanoha and Fate had just returned to the White Devil when all alarm sirens started ringing. Channels all over the ship popped up with Chrono's face. He was giving orders on both ships now. "The Martyr is right on course for us! Prepare for battle against an Asari flagship!" Chrono knew they didn't have much time to get away. But the Martyr... that was about as bad as the Eternal.

Tyreithar's flagship.

But the Asari were in for one hell of a fight. The sadness of the White Devil turned to rage and anger. To a thirst for revenge. Rein and Agito were too heavily injured to fight and were ordered to stay with Hayate in case she woke up or someone would attack the infirmary.

Signum, Vita, Shamal and Zafira would head out and fight their probably last battle. They would not let anyone touch their mistress.

Nanoha, despite her lack of voice, and Fate, despite her lack of sight, both wanted to fight. Fate asked Nanoha to bring her to the orbital weapons platform, which she did. They both took position, against Chrono's orders. But they couldn't let the Asari get away. They couldn't forgive them.

"Bardiche, Thor form!" Fate commanded and then took Nanoha's hand. "Raging Heart, I'm going to translate for Nanoha. Saint mode." Fate asked the device and both of them accepted her orders.

Fate could feel some of her wounds opening up just from the transformation but her anger made way for her power. Those Asari were the ones to blame for Hayate's condition. "Bardiche, photon storm. Load cartridges! Raging Heart, Axel Storm! Load cartridges!" It was tiring to give orders for Nanoha too, but while she was able to issue commands, she couldn't aim. But Nanoha took care of that and carefully moved Fate's hands in the right position.

It was because of their close relationship that they could trust and depend on each other like that. "Bardiche. Raging Heart. Photon Axel Storm!" Two massive magic circles appeared right outside the ship, in front of the orbital platform, merging with each other after a few seconds. It was a combined attack. "Fire!"

A myriad of energy orbs, pink and yellow, appeared inside the massive circle and started flying at the enemy ship in the distance. Nanoha and Fate didn't let up and kept the bombardment up. It looked like a whole stream of energy. The enemy ship was taking massive damage from the continued attack.

But that was not all. The White Devil had their own weapons and opened fire together with the Black Thunder. Although there were many wounded on board of the two ships, they were still able to put up an excellent fight. Especially since the White Devil was controlled by an ALIAS. Evasive maneuvers were completely useless against an AI that sophisticated.

"Enemy ship is taking heavy fire but not slowing down sir!" One soldier reported. "They're on direct collision course but are taking massive damage from orbital weapon platform two." Chrono knew that it had to be Nanoha and Fate. To fight in their condition, he was amazed at how strong those two were. If only Hayate was with them... she could blast a single ship, flagship of the Asari or not, out of space with ease.

"Enemy vessel still on collision course! Impact in ninety seconds!" Chrono himself was heading out now and gave his command to his stand-in, who seemed capable enough to order people to fire everything they had.

"They will pay. Lord of Devastation mode." Chrono ordered his device to quietly change form. It turned into a massive lance, easily twice times Chrono's own height, with three blades on both ends. Metal gauntlets appeared on both his hands, together with a full magical plate mail and helmet. He usually needed approval from the TSAB council to use this particular mode, but the council was no more.

Chrono had reached the hangar when the ships finally collided. Nanoha and Fate had left the weapon platform and taken position in one of the many corridors that lead to the hangar. They would gun down every enemy that passed through. They could no longer fight one to one or in mobs, but they could easily use bombardment spells from a stationary point.

The Black Thunder ached and was pushed away in space, but the White Devil was too strong for the Martyr's propulsion. The three ships were stuck with each other. The hangar of the Black Thunder and the White Devil were immediately battlefields and enemies attacked in great numbers.

But they had not anticipated a resistance of total wrath and desperation. The first dozen Asari that entered the White Devil had been turned to goo by Vita, who breached a way into the Martyr. They would kill every single enemy on that ship and if they would die in the process.

"Out of my way!" Signum unleashed a massive series of slashed against her enemies. She didn't care about the blood and gore that was flying everywhere. The four Wolkenritter stomped over the remains of the Asari with no regard for them as living beings. Zafira and Vita took care to smash the heads and chests of every single survivor. They attacked without paying any thought to defense. And the Asari were overwhelmed by their power.

The Black Thunder was holding steady. More enemies attacked the Black Thunder because there were no crazy Belkan knights running berserk on there. Nanoha and Fate had slowly moved to the Hangar and were constantly firing at the enemies trying to board them. Teana and Subaru had already joined up with them and were taking out almost everyone else that got past Nanoha and Fate's volley of energy projectiles.

But their luck wouldn't last.

Fate started to shake when she felt her presence. One of the leader of the Asari, Tyreithar herself had appeared on the Black Thunder. Subaru rushed in for an attack long before Fate could scream for her to get away from the monster.

Subaru used her wing road to attack the tall Tyreithar from behind and smashed her skull in. With only half her head, Tyreithar turned slowly and showed Subaru the grin of someone that took an injury like that for nothing. Subaru tried to get away but Tyreithar grabbed her arm and with only exerting a little bit of pressure on it, Subaru's arm broke, and her ear piercing scream alarmed everyone else in the great hangar. Tyreithar was not done. Subaru punched her face again, completely destroying her skull and brain, but it did nothing. The headless body, still holding Subaru's destroyed left arm turned again and smashed Subaru in the ground with such force that the massive steel plate that was the ground was dented in. Subaru spew blood and vomit and passed out.

Teana had started shooting Tyreithar. Her head was already regenerating but Teana didn't take chances. If her head didn't work, she would shoot everything else. "Sniping mode. Supercharge shot!" Teana took carefully aim, but Tyreithar was already running towards her. "Fire!" Teana's shot completely destroyed the left arm of the monster. "Fire!" The right arm was gone too. "Fire!" A massive hole in the chest, but Tyreithar didn't even slow down. Teana tried to get out of the way but wasn't quick enough. What kind of monster took damage like that and simply kept on running?

Teana was kicked in the side with such force that she thought her whole body was broken. She smashed into a wall and fell to the ground, not moving an inch.

Tyreithar's arms and head had fully regenerated and she picked up the corpse of a nearby Asari. Everyone watched in terror as her jaw simply dropped further and further and the massive shark like teeth showed. With a loud, disgusting crunching sound, Tyreithar bit off the head of an already killed Asari. Blood sprayed everywhere around her from the corpse like a fountain. "El Syr Ryfsil!" Tyreithar shouted and the blood formed a grotesque and completely oversized sword, easily twice her own size, while Tyreithar was already gigantic by human standards.

But even Tyreithar was not all powerful. A massive hammer smashed her into the ground, breaking almost all her bones. Vita and the Wolkenritter had arrived on the scene. They were all showing visible injuries, especially Vita, but none of them seemed to care.

Tyreithar rose from the dent in the ground with a broken neck. Her massive hands simply grabbed her own head and ripped it off. As if to mock the humans, the head still laughed and said in a otherworldly and cold voice "Amuse me more, fight me more! Show me what vermin is capable of!".

With a single flash move, Tyreithar had reached with, grabbed her head and smashed the small girl into the ground. Vita let out a painful scream and another, when Tyreithar smashed her again. Signum intervened quickly and cut off Tyreithar's arm, only to get grabbed by the Asari leader. Zafira summoned a dozen white spikes which pierced Tyreithar's body through and through but it seemed to have no visible effect. "Impossible! Is that thing immortal or something?" Signum was being teared apart. The monster stomped on her leg, which broke right away, and then applied pressure to it while pulling on her arm. Signum screamed in terror while the thing was ripping out her arm.

Vita was barely conscious after being smashed into the ground twice. Her face was completely red with her own blood and that of her enemies. She staggered and was about to launch another attack with Tyreithar suddenly turned around and use Signum's body like a club to smash them both into the ground.

Shamal had been preparing a powerful binding spell, strong enough to render even Nanoha or Fate completely helpless. Zafira bought her some time by literally creating a forest of energy spikes around Tyr, who simply smashed them like they were made of paper. "What... **is** that thing?" Zafira had never been scared of an enemy before, but this was too much.

"Ref grim felxi srim yel oum inm men asfil ker?" Tyreithar yelled as she approached Zafira, who slowly backed away, afraid of the monster.

He didn't like doing it, but he had no other choice. If that was still without effect, there was nothing he could do. "Eternal Crisis!" Zafira summoned a dozen spikes right around Tyreithar, none of them directly hitting here. A perfect circle. Tyreithar stood still and watched the Wolkenritter cast his spell. With a single movement, from each spike erupted a dozen smaller ones, and from each smaller one, another dozen. An unlimited number of spikes, shredding Tyreithar to pieces. The spikes vanished and left Zafira panting. Only the feet of the monstrous Tyreithar remained. Had he done it? Had he killed it?

But no. Zafira felt something behind him and turned around. Tyreithar shape, but only blood and gore, no skin no bones, was towering over him. He only caught a glimpse before she hit him with her fist and sent the wolf flying across the entire hangar as if he was made out of paper.

But Shamal had finally finished her spell. "Law of the Lake's domain!" An uncountable number of threads emerged from Shamal's fingers and wrapped themselves around the struggling Tyreithar, who had already regenerated back to her regular form.

Shamal doubt it would hold her for long. She spotted Nanoha and Fate in the distance and was about to call out to them when someone violently grabbed her leg and crushed the bone like it was nothing. Shamal cried out for a second before she was smashed in the ground and stopped moving, her eyes wide open.

Nanoha watched in terror how Tyreithar beat all of her friends and allies like they were nothing but flies. Could that kind of monster really be defeated?

"Exiled Destiny!" Chrono's voice echoed through the hangar and a massive ice stalagmite encased Tyreithar, freezing her solid. "Dawn of all Ages!" A fully armored Chrono arrived on the scene, his clothes and hands blood stained, a single cut off hand still grabbing his shoulder. The ice stalagmite burst into a myriad of shards, destroying Tyreithar's form.

"Sir, that thing regenerates endlessly! We can't kill it!" One of the soldiers approached their admiral, who had a grim look in their eyes.

"We just need to kill it until it runs out of lives." Tyreithar regenerated again, on the spot she had been destroyed, with a slightly displeased look on her face. She only managed to take another step before Chrono attacked again. "Kaiser Judgment!" A circle of ice appeared around Tyreithar and dozens of light thin ice blades slashed through her body, cutting her into hundreds of tiny parts. But she regenerated again.

Chrono was about to use his next spell when Tyreithar moved with incredible speed towards him, surprising him. "Not... bad... for... human..." Tyreithar said with her inhuman voice in the common tongue.

Chrono felt his internal organs being smashed when Tyreithar hit him with full force. He was lifted of his feet and smashed right into the celling over than twenty meters above them. But even the strong steel plate couldn't stop his momentum. Chrono's body couldn't take it and he lost consciousness.

Tyreithar looked at the remaining people. Nanoha and Fate couldn't fight someone like that. Not like they were now.

"Loki's Treachery!" Tyreithar was hit by an invisible force, lifted in the air and compressed into the size of less than a golf ball. An explosion of blood followed, spraying the remains of the Asari leader everywhere.

Back at the entrance to the Asari ship was a shining figure in an golden armor, holding a book and a staff. Nanoha almost couldn't trust her eyes. Hayate stood there, with an insane look in her eyes, glowing golden. Nanoha had never seen that look before. Was that how Hayate looked in dual unison?

"Rein. Agito. Even if I will die in this battle... I have to kill her. So don't hold back anything. If necessary, I will have to cast **that** spell again after everyone got away." Hayate talked quietly to herself. She was in extreme pain from the unison but didn't say anything. Rein and Agito were floating in the magical unison space inside Hayate, Agito holding Rein's hand again. Their unison had been more stable than before, because they were both trying as hard as possible to synchronize with each other.

Tyreithar regenerated again, much to Hayate's displeasure. "How many times do we have to kill her anyway? _Baldr's chain_!" A dark glowing chain wrapped itself around the regenerating Tyreithar. "That chain will even bind gods." Hayate said and prepared another spell. It was much easier to cast spells in dual unison, unless they were forbidden ones. "Loki's Treachery!" Tyreithar suffered the same spell effect and her body was destroyed again.

The chain swirled through the air and looked for the regenerating Tyreithar, to wrap itself around it's target. There was no escape from it. Tyreithar regenerated, much closer to Hayate now, and was chained by Baldr's chain again.

"Loki's Trea-" Hayate started puking blood in the middle of casting the spell and had to lean on her staff to not fall to her knees. It was taking too much out of her to do this. Rein and Agito were worried and took away some of the power from Hayate. "No, I have to-" But it was too late. Tyreithar, still wrapped in the chain, had reached Hayate and grabbed her head, lifting her right into the air.

Hayate's legs were struggling right in the air as everyone in the hangar watched their last hope being thrown around like a paper doll. Hayate flew through the entire hangar and would crash against the massive steel plate at the entrance any second. "_Heimdalrs Gate_!" Hayate vanished into thin air.

Tyreithar didn't seem very bothered about it. With an powerful roar, Hayate's magic chain was destroyed and Tyreithar stomped over to where the injured Subaru was. She didn't plan on leaving any survivors. The rebellion was an annoyance that had to be put to rest.

The red haired Asari towered over Subaru like a giant over an ant, ready to extinguish her flame of life once and for all. Humans were much more sturdy than she thought. Especially that blue one and red one. They had already regained consciousness. Tyreithar lifted her massive arm, clenched her fist and aimed to smash Subaru's head to pieces.

"_Nifflheimr_!" Four magic circles appeared around Tyreithar, forming a hexagon. With a grunt, Tyreithar was crushed by four massive pillars of physical matter, emerging from the circles. Hayate appeared from above Tyreithar, out of a small golden portal. The Asari better not underestimate her. Hayate was happy losing her life if it meant she could protect everyone else and take down the most bloodthirsty Asari general.

"I am the Golden Knight of Belka, Hayate Yagami. Remember my name, Asari!" Hayate's eyes were glowing with an unnatural hatred and coldness and Tyreithar responded with her own terrifying stare. But Hayate was no longer afraid. The dual unison gave her access to all the spells in the Tome of the Nightsky, without limits.

"_Freyr's Orb_!" Hayate flew a quick circle around the imprisoned Tyreithar and left a golden circle in the air behind her. The golden line extended above and below and destroyed the steel ground and the _Nifflheimr_ pillars like they were made of glass. A SSS class spell of ultimate destruction. Hayate whirled Schwertkreuz thrice through the air, forming a single cross surrounded by a circle in the air.

"Light of Genesis, hail my call and destroy all that stands in my way! To vanish in the ever blindingly grace that is my power! _Freyr's Light_!" Hayate pointed Schwertkreuz at Tyreithar and the orb started humming. Tyreithar punched the barrier around her twice but got shocked by energy twice. A small, golden orb of energy formed in the middle of the orb and it grew and grew slowly.

Rein and Agito tried hard to control the spell to avoid the miniature sun growing beyond the bounds of the barrier. A spell like that would annihilate Tyreithar to her last molecule. Hayate ignored the burning pain in her body and put even more power in the spell. Tyreithar's screams of terror and pain echoed through the hangar as everyone watched the Asari burn to death, being consumed by the most powerful force in the universe. A sun.

The orb was completely filled with the sun and the heat that passed through the energy barrier was melting even the ground. But Hayate didn't stop yet. "_Loki's Treachery_!" The orb was compressed until it was no more than the size of a golf ball and flew quietly to Hayate's hand, who threw the orb out into space. "_Nifflheimr!" _A massive black pillar extended from Schwertkreuz and pushed the small orb far, far into space. The explosion when the spell ended shook the whole ship. It was like multiple tactical nuclear devices had exploded at once.

"Amazing... for a human... to be this strong..." Tyreithar's voice echoed through the hangar. Was that thing still alive after being incinerated by a sun? Hayate was running out of ideas and stamina. If only she had not tried to use that forbidden spell before. The unison was stable and she had access to so much power, it was well beyond a normal SSS class.

Five blood red magic circles with grotesque designs and letters formed a majestic Christian cross in the air in the middle of the hangar. "But I shall no longer play around. **Elsir Reif**!" The circles turned into portals and a mass of blood started spurting from it, splashing on the ground. And Tyreithar resurrected.

Four magic circles appeared and covered both the ground, the celling and two of the walls of the hangar. "Grif Xel Neim!" Tyreithar exclaimed loudly. But people had already opened fire, encouraged by Hayate's heroic fight. Tyreithar was taking heavy damage fast. But her regeneration was even faster than before. The massive circles were still turning when Tyr moved with a single flash movement to the lines of the soldiers and her big hands clawed through their rows like they were not even there.

Hayate flew over in an instant and stopped right above Tyreithar. "_Baldr's Chain_!" The chain wrapped itself around the Asari and restricted her movements for a few moments, giving the soldiers time to escape. But Hayate had miscalculated. Tyreithar broke the chain seconds after it hit her and simply flung Hayate away like a fly. The golden knight crashed into a wall and went right through it.

Nanoha and Fate could no longer just stand there and do nothing. Even if _that_ Hayate was unable to kill her, they would try their best. There were ways to render an opponent unable to fight without killing them. Fate and Nanoha bet everything on that one move, which they had developed together.

Tyreithar was rowing through the rows of her enemies like they were insects when a massive pink beam hit her and sent her flying away. "Do you not realize how futile your fight is?" Tyreithar started laughing at the ridiculousness of the attack. It barely scratched her. But it made the four massive circles vanish. Tyreithar had let her guard down for a moment.

"I wonder about that." Fate was right in front of her, in a new type of armor. Chaos Form, a new, higher form of her True Sonic form which specialized in one destructive blow to annihilate everything. Nanoha was right behind her, having steering her unbelievably fast move since Fate couldn't see. But once she had locked on to an enemy in that mode, she didn't need her eyes anymore.

"Raging Heart, Empress Mode!" Fate issued the order for Nanoha and threw Bardiche high into the air, distracting Tyreithar for a second. They were face to face with something of such unbelievable power that they could only hope to win in a fight of wits.

Nanoha's barrier jacket transformed into a similar shape to her Saint mode but trading every field generator for a new, improved blaster bit. There were a total of fifteen bits, and Nanoha herself. Raging Heart herself transformed into something like a stationary cannon, using the ground as support. At this range, there was no need to aim. There was less than two meters between her and the baffled Asari.

"Raging Heart, _Iron Maiden_!" Fate shouted, the Neo-Blaster bits swirled around Tyreithar and fired at once. It was the highest form of a binding spell, designed to restrain SS and SSS rank mages and anything beyond. A magical energy field supported sixteen beams of energy. Nanoha could not keep that up for long, but that wasn't necessary.

Fate was flying high in the air and had littered the space next to her with Zamber blades, a modification from her True Sonic Form. "Bardiche. _Ion Storm_." Five dozen Zamber blades vanished from space and Tyreithar's pain scream almost knocked Nanoha out, so loud and powerful was it. Yellow energy blades were stabbed through her massive body. Sixty Zamber Blades had impaled the restrained Asari and slashed her body. "Raging Heart, _Royal Restraint_!" Fate issued a new order and Nanoha acted accordingly.

The Neo-Blaster bits turned into a pink semi-liquid substance and attached themselves to the wounded Asari. The wounds couldn't heal because the blades were still stuck in her body and Nanoha's magic liquid was worse than any type of acid, burning all material it came into connection with but not destroying it.

But it was not enough. Tyreithar took a step forwards, under insane pressure, pain and constant assault from Nanoha's Royal Restraint. How was that even possible? Was Tyreithar truly immortal? Fate landed behind Tyreithar and couldn't orientate herself. Tyreithar grabbed Fate, breaking the restraint but losing most of her arm in the process. It didn't regenerate, the liquid was still there, preventing that. Nanoha felt immense pressure as Fate was smashed right on top of her. The impact was so strong that it dented the ground below them.

Raging Heart and Bardiche ceased to function and their barrier jacket came undone, but their spells remained in effect. Tyreithar was growling with pain and her left arm broke off her body and fell to the ground like she was falling apart. "**Humans! Mark my words! This will not be the last time we met! I will hunt you, I will find you, and I shall tear you apart and feast on your remains**!" Tyreithar yelled and was immediately hit by a massive bolt of white energy.

"Enough talking." Hayate aimed Schwertkreuz at the Asari that was burning with anger and rage. "_Freyr's Orb!_" Tyreithar already knew that spell and what it did, but she would have her revenge soon.

Hayate flew a quick once around Tyreithar and created the golden orb. But instead of using _Freyr's Light_, she moved back and aimed carefully at the Orb with the Asari leader inside. Hayate was facing the Martyr and it's hangar. " _Nifflheimr!" _The orb was hit by the massive black pillar and smashed into the enemy vessel, Tyreithar still inside. "Reinforce!" Hayate yelled and the whole Black Thunder started shaking.

"Commencing hyperspace jump in twenty..." Hayate had no time to watch the terrified faces of the soldiers and issued orders. Her grandiose golden form, floating quietly in the air over them was giving off an aura of authority that they couldn't disobey if they wanted to. "Emergency close the hangar gate now!" Hayate ascended to the middle of the room. She could feel her magic energy running out. There was one last thing to do before she was running out of magic.

"_Freyja's Rejuvenation_!" It was one of the forbidden spells. Hayate only knew in general what the spell was supposed to do, but it was classified as the ultimate healing and resurrection magic known to all of Belka.

Hayate herself became a golden light that filled the hangar and in seconds the entire ship. The light was warm, yet blinding and forceful. People felt themselves passing out standing, felt like their souls were ripped out of their bodies, yet, there was no pain, just an infinite feeling of worry, sadness and fear.

"Three... Two... One... commencing hyperspace jump." Reinforce voice echoed through the two ships as they vanished in space and left the Martyr with the imprisoned Tyreithar behind in cold, empty space.

=== End of Mission Six ===


	7. Golden Knight

_**LSS 8 is already written and in grammar check  
**_

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission Seven ===

**Golden Knight**

"Elaine, is something the matter? You're terribly pale."

Hayate was unable to comprehend what was going on. Right before her sat a man of majestic stature, clothed in noble garments and wearing priceless jewelry.

"Where…am I?"

When she opened her mouth, she was greeted by an unfamiliar voice—like a deeper-pitched version of Signum's. When she looked down at herself, it was quite clear that not only her voice was different. She was in a different body. Was it a delusion, a dream?

"What are you saying, sister? Have you forgotten what the rest of the palace looks like after spending so many hours in your laboratory?" The man laughed and put one hand on Hayate's shoulder. "Now, let's welcome our guests."

The room was made almost entirely of mirror-like marble. Golden curtains, red saint carpets and flags—it was a throne room, that much was easy to tell. Which meant…the man who addressed her as "sister" had to be the king. What was going on?

Two servants who stood near the big black wing doors at the end of the hall pulled them open and announced the visitors. "Great Sorceress of the Asari, the Hourglass and bearer of the Magic of a Billion Years, Vysfila Rias Alycancis."

Hayate's mind froze instantly. The ruler of the Asari was the "guest" the king awaited? Where the _hell_ was she?

A woman whose image she knew well entered the hall—long green hair, pitch-black eyes, but clothed differently from what she knew. The woman wore a long dress that was dark green and black. It looked like silk, and there was not a shred of hostility in her appearance.

The woman stopped about ten meters away from the king, and the one and only leader of the Asari knelt down and lowered her head. "Your Highness honors me with your presence. I'm very pleased that you found time to see me and hear my proposal."

It was a spectacle almost unbelievable for Hayate's eyes. The incredibly powerful sorceress was humbling herself before this king.

Vysfila looked up, and her eyes came to rest on Hayate. "Who is the beauty who stands at your side? Has Your Majesty already found a suitable queen?"

For a split second, Hayate could feel hostility coming from the Asari, but the king laughed her question off and looked at Hayate. "This is my sister and First General of the Royal Troops, Elaine Wolkensturm. I am sure you have heard the countless tales of the Golden Knight of Belka."

"Of course I have. The Battle of Risingfort and the Siege of Gargatum—those legends are famous throughout the galaxy. It is an honor to meet you, my lady."

Hayate remained silent, unable to comprehend all of what was happening to her. The king gave her a quick look and seemed to decide that it was for the best to do the talking himself. "My sister seems to be quite exhausted after her last experiment. Her manners might not hold up to her combat and scientific ability, but that is exactly why she is my right hand and not my queen."

The king laughed again and stood up before taking Hayate by her left arm and walking her to a nearby servant. "See her to her room. Make sure she is comfortable."

"I must excuse my sister," he continued, turning back to the Asari. "She will join us at dinner, when we discuss your proposal. I have important matters to attend to before that. A servant will show you a room we have prepared for you." The king walked over to Vysfila and took her hand. "I look forward to dinner and your proposal. Until then, Lady Alycancis."

Hayate lost track of the conversation after that, but it seemed to be over anyway. She barely registered her surroundings until the servant let go of her.

"My lady, if you need something…"

The servant left the room and Hayate was alone, trying to get a hold of her senses.

She looked around. The room was very spacious and comfortable, although right now it was a scene of total chaos. Open books, papers on various subjects, and magical utilities were spread all over the room and even on the big bed. Almost as if in a trance, Hayate walked to the bed, sat down, and pinched herself.

It hurt a lot. So it was _not_ a dream.

"What is going on…? Why…am I in Belka? Why am I in the past? What happened?"

As she tried to recollect what happened, Hayate found her last memories to be of fighting off Tyreithar, one of Vysfila's sisters, and of casting Freyja's Rejuvenation just before the ship did a hyperspace…

"The hyperspace jump. The spell must have caused a space-time distortion. But why was I sent to Belka?"

It took her a few seconds before she realized it. "Golden Knight…when I used Dualis with Rein and Agito, I introduced myself like that for some reason. And this…_me_…here in Belka, the sister of the king, is also the Golden Knight of Belka. That can't be a coincidence."

Her mind was getting clearer with every realization, but her body felt heavy and empty. There was not a trace of magical energy in it. There was also the matter of what had happened to the real Elaine Wolkensturm. Was Hayate in her body?

Her body. It had already started breaking down when she was fighting Tyreithar. By now…Hayate looked at the floor and her face lost all color. The real Elaine Wolkensturm had to be dead by now. If people found out about this, it would be a huge disaster. It could change history and cause devastating effects.

Hayate decided to, at least for now, pretend to be Elaine. She wanted to find out what the Asari were doing in Belka. When she remembered the mission briefing about them, she recalled that it was suspected they drove Belka into a war that ended their bloodline and their culture.

She picked up a few of the books on the ground and looked at symbols she couldn't read. The language she apparently understood for some reason, but the runic symbols were impossible. Was it because her linker core had been merged with the core of the Book of Darkness? Did that link her to Belka?

True enough, Signum and the others were Belkan knights. Hayate wondered if it was possible to track down the creator of the book and the staff.

After tidying up the room, Hayate found herself to be very exhausted. For a royal general, the woman's body surely was weak. Since she felt incredibly tired, Hayate laid down, trying to rest.

Barely ten minutes passed before someone knocked on the door. "Lady Elaine? Are you awake?"

Hayate had heard firsthand how highly the king spoke of her and she wanted to show some dignity. When she stood up and opened the door herself, Hayate was looking into the face of a young female scientist. She wore a white lab coat and looked an awful lot like Shamal, including the blond hair.

"The first one woke up a few minutes ago. You ordered me to call you when it happened." The scientist girl said, an euphoric look in her eyes. Hayate didn't know her name, but for now that was not necessary. As sister of the king, she could simply address people as "you" for now.

Hayate followed the girl through a long series of corridors until they arrived at an extremely thick and well-shielded door, protected by two heavily guards who looked like they could break the girl's neck just by looking.

"My lady," they greeted Hayate—Elaine—and did nothing more. The door opened for the girl when she put her hand on its center and a magic seal unlocked it. Hayate could barely believe what was inside. She saw a large room, many times bigger than the throne room, containing numerous giant tubes and research utilities. It made the main laboratory in the TSAB HQ look like that of a hobby researcher.

They were greeted by a tall woman with fiery red hair and very large bust, wearing the same lab coat as the girl. "You're slow, Malash," she said. She looked at Hayate. "Your Highness, Misgun and Azafir are waiting with the test subject."

Led by the red-haired woman, Hayate and the girl whose name was apparently Malash continued on to the back. While walking, Hayate found out what kind of research they were doing.

In every tube was a living being, all of them human-looking in appearance but no doubt irregular in nature. Hayate knew that Belka had been vastly different in their morals from Mid-Childa, but for them to conduct experiments on a large scale like this was quite terrifying to see.

Ahead of the group of three were two more people waiting for them, a man with short blue hair and a beard covering most of his face and a woman with glasses who had her hair pulled back into a long pink braid.

It didn't take a genius to see the uncanny resemblance between Hayate's four knights and these four researchers. But even so, Hayate was surprised to find a completely apathetic and naked Signum staring at her from inside the tube everyone was standing around.

"We finally succeeded. Your change in design using living cells of Belkan magicians was the key to success, Lady Elaine." The man stood next to her and congratulated her with a big smile on his face.

"The linking process was a full success. But so far only you, Lady Elaine, were able to complete the process without failure. If we do not manage to simplify the process for the other generals, the project will be a failure."

"Malash, come to my room later. I need to talk to you privately," Hayate said without showing the slightest sign of happiness over the successful experiment.

She would have never thought that it was Belkan royalty who had created her knights. But she had to learn more about it. If she screwed up history, it could have catastrophic results.

She turned and left the four stunned scientists behind. Even as she moved farther away, she could still hear their conversation.

"Lady Elaine is acting really weird today. I heard she was spacing out next to the king earlier, right in front of the guest."

"Speaking of the guest, it's her, right? The Asari, the legendary time sorceress? I wish I had even one percent of her magical power. But I hear Lady Elaine once fought with her and landed a hit. That's more than anyone else in the universe can say."

"There's no way the Asari are normal. I've seen one of them in battle, against DEVA. I heard the king asked for their help and one of them annihilated millions."

"The Massacre of Astrarafil, I remember. A single woman, monstrous and hair as red as blood, killed them all, leaving behind an ocean of corpses and gore. It's said that nothing grows on the land and just stepping on it will get you cursed."

"For Lady Elaine to fight against their leader and injure her…I can see why they call her the Golden Knight."

"You've never seen her in battle before? Her knight armor is golden. I believe it was the DEVA who gave the name to her. She became feared among them after numerous battles. Now the Golden Knight of Belka is a living legend."

Hayate listened in on their conservation from behind a tube, making sure they didn't see her. It was interesting to learn more about Belka.

"There's a rumor that their leader wants to marry one of her sisters to the king and they'll fight for us in exchange. The idea…frightens me."

There was a moment of silence.

"I understand why. I got a glimpse of their leader when she arrived earlier. I couldn't help but feel terrified. Her magic power was almost tangible in the air. Have you heard the legends of Al Hazard, the lost kingdom?"

"Everyone knows the legends. Are you saying the Asari had a hand in that?"

"The rumors say so. The ruler of Al Hazard is said to have betrayed the Asari and so the whole kingdom was banished beyond time and space. I'm not comfortable with having a person that powerful as our queen."

"Some people almost worship them like they're gods. I hear their leader objects to their worship but her sisters don't."

Another brief moment of silence.

"I'm still surprised that Lady Elaine managed to complete the linking. I couldn't feel a shred of magical energy from her earlier, but that is to be expected. Just looking at the rate the subject's magical power is growing…she'll be a respectable warrior."

"To be honest, it feels weird to look at her face. It's almost like I'm looking at you, Misgun."

"What did you expect? They were created from our cell samples. Of _course_ they would look like us. Subject B-571 looks exactly like you too, Malash. The same goes for I-939 and Vati. The only difference is Azafir, because his was created as a guardian beast and not as a knight."

"Though I wonder why only yours is almost like an exact copy. Vati's has massive differences and even mine looks different."

It didn't take much for Hayate to conclude who was created in whose image. The fiery red hair of Vati clearly belonged to Vita. The blond girl was the poster girl for Shamal. Which meant that Misgun was the donator for Signum and Zafira was modeled after Azafir.

The researchers started talking about technical aspects of the technology which Hayate didn't understand. It would be suspicious to stay any longer. Hayate left through the same door she came in, but it took her a few attempts to find her way back to her room.

Looking through the books was not going to accomplish anything, so she decided to search the room for anything else she could use to learn more about the person whose body she was currently inhabiting.

And she actually hit the jackpot. Next to the bed, inside a drawer, was a small crystal which Hayate recognized from her TSAB days. It was a device used by Belkans to record video footage.

The crystal activated as soon as Hayate touched it. It displayed a small screen, not bigger than maybe twenty centimeters, and offered a selection of countless entries, all without date and only runic symbols as titles. Hayate chose the uppermost entry and looked at it.

It displayed a book, and one which Hayate knew very well. Her own voice, or rather that of Elaine, filled the air.

"With the Wolkenritter project in its final stage and the first link to be established tomorrow, I have now finished what I have been working on for over eight years—the Book of Darkness, a compendium of Belkan and lost magic. It will contain also an exact copy of my linker core. It will serve both as amplifier of my magic as well as control unit for the Wolkenritter I have created. Soon I will usurp my brother and take control of Belka as I deserve to."

The entry ended there and Hayate quickly chose the one below that. It was only audio.

"My spies at court tell me that my foolish brother is thinking about joining forces with the Asari against the DEVA. Little does he know that I am the leader of DEVA and their only existence is to weaken the people's support under him and his leadership so that I might take the throne."

Hayate scrolled down to the first entry and started listening to it.

"Today marks the beginning of a project which will soon bring me the position that is rightfully mine. My brother always claims that my lack of tact and manners are what made him king, when it is only the outdated custom of male domination that made my father choose him and not me to rule.

"The project has started in failure. The creation of artificial knights is much more difficult than I originally thought. I have removed all but my four most trusted researchers from the project. My brother knows little of what I am doing and the little he knows he doesn't care about. His lack of awareness of the people around him will be his downfall.

"I have begun work on a tome that will serve as my codex and my will. I decided to not only include Belkan magic but also the few spells I salvaged from lost Al Hazard relics. I have included the three spells only known to the royal family of Belka as well. Only those of royal blood can use them without risking their lives and I am the only one who has the magical power to use them anyway.

"The project was set back by another failure. I continue to work on the tome. While the project has been the source of constant failure, I have secretly started another project in my personal laboratory—an artificial knight different from what the project is working on developing, a device based on a book written by a scholar from Al Hazard. A so-called unison device. It will finally enable me to fight with the Asari head to head.

"My brother has become too curious of my projects, so I have started to distract his eyes with political trouble. I approached a race of people living at the far edge of this galaxy, the Dreth, and offered them life in Belka if they would unite under me. They were soon joined by other races, all small and minor ones nobody gives a damn about. Soon I had an army of tens of thousands of underlings to distract my brother from prying into my affairs. He is busy with his fight against DEVA while I continue my research.

"The first success of Project Wolkenritter! We succeeded in creating a breathing and living clone that was able to withstand basic tests. It died after six hours, but we now know it is possible to create fully grown artificial knights. We just have to change our approach.

"The project is now using cells of Belkan knights to create the artificial knights. I have collected hundreds of samples and have chosen the most healthy and powerful ones for my research. The cells of my four scientists were all chosen, and I am looking forward to the progress."

There was only one more entry, and it was colored red instead of blue. Hayate tried to open it but got an error message.

"_Password required: Please enter password command._"

There was no input console at all, so Hayate thought it had to be a spoken sentence.

"Rightful queen," Hayate said, taking a wild guess.

The file unlocked, much to her surprise, and a video played, one that disturbed Hayate a great deal. It showed Agito, locked to a small stone on a desk while someone performed experiments on her.

"I succeeded in creating the device after I used modified cells from Misgun. While I succeeded in creating a living creature capable of entering a state of magical unison, the effect is unstable and too dependent on emotions. I consider this experiment a failure. I have already started the next experiment. I will infuse the Book of Darkness with a unison device created from my own modified cells. My goal is to remove emotions and create a powerful device."

There was another file hidden at the end of the first locked one. It showed a large tube and what Hayate recognized as Reinforce.

"The creation is stable, but shows signs of errors based on missing emotions. I have already set the links to the tome so I cannot redo the experiment, but I have to consider this experiment a failure as well. Without the other device I created, it will be forever incomplete. The risk of a combined unison would be much too high and too unstable. I see myself unable to improve the research any further and thus my need for this project has ended."

Hayate didn't know what to say. Elaine Wolkensturm was, without a doubt, _evil_. It almost made Hayate throw up. That Elaine was the one to have created Agito, Reinforce and her knights…it was hard to believe.

Someone knocked at the door. "Lady Elaine, you wanted to see me?"

It was Malash.

"Come in." Hayate stashed the crystal away and walked over to the chair at the desk and sat down. "Lock the door."

With a confused expression, Malash closed the door behind her, locking the door with a magic seal.

"Explain the linking process to me," Hayate demanded in a cold voice, and stared at Mashal. If she had to make this work, her only choice was intimidation. Elaine was a cold, calculating woman who didn't didn't care what happened to people.

"Lady Elaine, why—"

Hayate glared hard and it paid off. Mashal was intimidated by the murderous intent she could feel emanating from her mistress. Magic or not, the Golden Knight was a fearsome enemy, and Mashal was just a researcher.

"The test subjects have all a tiny amount of our and your cells in them, making them compatible for linking with either of us. While your cells are a requirement, ours can be replaced with those of a general, for example." Malash could only guess that her mistress was testing her knowledge. Now that the project was almost finished, it was probably time to get rid of people she couldn't trust.

"Your linker core, and ours, are directly connected to theirs. You have to establish a magical connection to theirs, take control of their linker core, and imprint your personal magic seal on it. If it succeeds, you will be permanently connected to them. They will listen and execute any order as you speak them. They will throw themselves into certain death if ordered to."

"Are there any plans to give them their own consciousness?"

"No. You're opposed to that." Mashal looked at Hayate strangely. "There's the possibility of transferring someone's consciousness into their body, but only you have the skills and ability to do that. None of us knows how."

"How much do you know, Mashal? How much do the others know?"

Mashal's expression turned much more serious. "I know you will soon be our rightful ruler and queen of Belka. And so do the others, Your Majesty. The others know this as well. We are your most trusted servants."

Hayate thought really hard about what the real Elaine would have done, but without knowing much about her, it was a futile attempt. "There have been rumors, unpleasant ones. About me, about the project. If the worst should happen, we will need to silence those who oppose us. My brother is incompetent and weak. Belka is a kingdom of warriors, not peacemakers. We live to conquer, not to idly sit and rot away." It sounded like something a war-crazed usurper would say, so Hayate said it.

Mashal simply nodded. "Many of our people think the same and will support you once you have taken the throne, Your Majesty."

"Return to the others," Hayate ordered. "Meet me in the laboratory after midnight. It is time to move our plans forward. The king is planning to let the Asari into our kingdom, and once that happens, DEVA is finished and so are my plans."

Hayate didn't know how far in the future the war that destroyed Belka was, but since Signum and the others had little knowledge of events in Belka. It couldn't be long.

Hayate assumed that if she had created the tome, her staff must be somewhere as well. "Do you know where Schwertkreuz is? I seem to have misplaced it."

"You store it in a small globule and summon it with a command spell and the activation phrase 'Anfang,' my lady." Mashal looked a little confused over her queen forgetting where she kept her devices, but she seemed to attribute it to the recent loss of magical energy. Mashal bowed deeply and looked a bit disappointed.

"Is there something else?" Hayate tried to look displeased with the hesitation in her servant.

"No. I was only expecting to spend the night with you, my lady." Mashal didn't hide her affection for her future queen.

"There will be time for that later." Hayate didn't know how she felt about pretending to be someone else and then going ahead and sleeping with one of her love interests. A much more pressing matter was how was she going to get back to her own time.

After Mashal left her alone, Hayate was quickly disturbed by _another_ servant.

"What is it?" Trying to look very displeased, Hayate faced a frightened girl servant.

"Your brother, the king, is calling you for dinner. He asks you to attend."

"Wait here." Hayate closed the door and stood in the middle of the room. She held her hand out. "_Anfang!_"

The small Schwertkreuz device showed up in her hand. Without a second thought, Hayate transformed and was almost overwhelmed by the power. It was completely different from when she used Schwertkreuz herself.

Her knight armor shone golden, just like her own when using Dualis. It was…incredible that someone could have that much magic power. If Elaine Wolkensturm lived in the modern times, she would be considered a threat to the TSAB and beyond.

But unlike her own Schwertkreuz, Elaine's didn't transform into a staff. Instead it became a sword, hanging at her waist.

"Schwertkreuz, Stab form."

Hayate just knew this command. And without learning, without having ever used it before, she knew exactly what it would do.

The staff Schwertkreuz was as imposing as ever. Grabbing the tome and storing it in the same globule as Schwertkreuz, Hayate opened the door and looked at the servant, who was alarmed on sight.

"Lead the way, girl."

=== Limitless ===

The king was not in the least fazed that his sister showed up in full battle armor. Unlike regular knights and their plate mail, Elaine's armor was legendary among his people and not a sight many people saw and lived to see again.

Two of the Asari already sat at the table, close to the king. Hayate recognized Vysfila, but didn't know who the other one was. Hayate knew that if the king should marry one of the Asari, all chances of Elaine taking the throne would vanish. And even if the king died, the Asari would become queen, and it was probably impossible to kill an Asari. Even if Hayate did, there was no way to stop Vysfila from destroying all of Belka in revenge.

"I am sure you remember Lady Vysfila. Her sister, Lady Marasfithal, will be joining us for dinner."

The king seemed to be unaware of the invisible sparks flying between Elaine and Marasfithal. Hayate didn't know which part history was supposed to go, but she was willing to take the risk of corrupting the timeline and destroying the Asari before they could show up in the future.

Hayate just nodded and sat down, ramming Schwertkreuz into the stone floor as she did so. Elaine's body was a lot stronger, physically, than her own. But it didn't seem that surprising for Belkan royalty.

"Now that we're all here, let's hear your proposal, Vysfila." The king casually addressed the Lord of the Asari. While he didn't notice it, Hayate did catch the brief moment of Marasfithal gritting her teeth in disgust.

"We offer you an alliance—our fighting force and knowledge for your help in exchange. My sister will become your wife and thus the Queen of Belka, and in return, you will have full access to all of our knowledge. Of course, I too, will abide to your command and fight against our common enemies. However, in return I will need your help in getting revenge on those who have betrayed me…my own people, who have abandoned me out of fear of my powers."

Vysfila gave the king a stern look and continued. "Marasfithal is my closest sister and after me, the most powerful Asari. It is well within her power to destroy a planet if she has to. As you can see, she is also quite beautiful, although not very talkative."

Hayate couldn't object to that. Marasfithal had a brilliance not many women had. She had to be tall, at least as tall as the king, and her short, slightly dark blue hair gave her a mysterious look. Her face was graceful and refined, like that of a true empress. But her eyes were as cold as ice.

"Where are these folk of yours? I'd think if there is a whole kingdom of people as powerful as you and your sisters, the whole universe would be at your mercy."

"They are no longer here. Not in this dimension. They left behind their bodies thousands of years ago and ascended to a higher dimension. This is why I need your help, King of Belka."

Hayate glanced at the king. "I am opposed to this, brother. To seek revenge, even after thousands of years…a grudge like that only brings misfortune with it. Only a fool would hunt after those who have fled to a place nobody can reach."

Marasfithal glared at Elaine, murderous intent shooting from her eyes. "Watch how you address the Lord of the Asari, Golden Knight, lest I cut out your tongue and roast it for Tyreithar."

"Don't be fool enough to forget in whose palace you are currently residing, Asari." Hayate glared back, ready to grab Schwertkreuz at any time. If it came down to it, she would fire Deus right there in the throne room.

"_Enough_," Vysfila said sharply, looking at Marasfithal. She turned to Hayate. "Golden Knight of Belka, it is not yours to decide what is foolish and what is not. I can very well reach where they are, but I need an army. They are Asari, not a pub I could annihilate with a flick of my finger. And keep in mind that while you are the sister of the king of Belka and powerful indeed, you are not an equal to myself or my sister."

The king, uneasy with how the conversation was going, was relieved when the food was brought in. "Let's eat and forget our differences for now. As for your proposal, I will think about it. Your sister is indeed a beautiful woman, but my people are hardheaded and stubborn. They will not easily accept a queen from another race."

Hayate didn't say another word for the whole evening. Neither did Marasfithal. The king and Vysfila talked, soon drifting off to stories of war and times long past. Hayate simply left after she had finished her food, but not without exchanging a last hateful glare with Marasfithal.

Back in her room, Hayate looked for some kind of secret entrance to the laboratory where the real Elaine kept Reinforce and Agito, but no such luck came to her. There was nothing in her room. The staff and the tome had to suffice for now.

It was shortly past midnight when Hayate left her room, still in full armor and wearing her staff. The guards near the laboratory were gone with no sign of battle having happened.

Mashal, Vati, Misgun, and Azafir were already inside, waiting at the tube Signum was in.

"We have to make our move tonight," Hayate said to them. "My brother will not be able to refuse the Asari proposal. To refuse would mean we lose all value in their eyes. We have to—"

Hayate was knocked off her feet by a massive impact somewhere that shook the ground. Seconds later, turmoil and screams could be heard from everywhere in the palace. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the ground started to shake again.

"_It's them!_"

Hayate felt _something_ take over. A remnant of the real Elaine, maybe, but whatever it was, it completely wiped her mind blank. With a single word, the room was tinted red with the blood of her researchers.

Elaine opened the Book of Darkness and recited a single spell.

"_Bewusstsein der Hölle!_"

As soon as the spell kicked into effect, a slightly blue, transparent something started to rise from the dead researchers—their magic energy. As soon as the book had finished, it responded to its master.

"_Sammlung vollständig._"

"_Viersturm!_" Elaine swung her staff once and four bolts of darkness destroyed the tubes holding the Wolkenritter. The book opened again and the bodies started to decompose, turning into raw magic. It took less than two minutes for the book to eat them all.

"_Sammlung vollständig._"

Hayate could still see and feel, but she was no longer in control, and she knew why. The Book of Darkness held the consciousness of its real owner, Elaine Wolkensturm, and it was taking control.

With one clean swipe, Elaine destroyed the ceiling and flew straight up. She pushed through the corridor above her and destroyed the ceiling with another swipe, then she reached the throne room to find her brother guarded by at least a dozen guards.

"Chose wisely, men. Side with me, or die with this failure of a king. I will lead you against the Asari and prevail! I will lead Belka to its former glory! I will conquer the worlds and have their people at our mercy!"

But the guards didn't move. They knew full well they had not a snowball's chance in hell against the famous Golden Knight of Belka, but their loyalties were with their king.

"Then so be it. _Hraesvelgr!_" Without mercy, Elaine blasted the entire throne room to bits and pieces in a giant explosion. Her shield protected her, Reinforce in the Book of Darkness protected her. "Reinforce. Do it."

The Book opened, Elaine floating amidst the chaos of the destroyed throne room. "Anfang._ Königlicher Richtspruch._"

"Hear me, my fellow Belkans! The king is dead, and since he has no children or wife, I, Elaine Wolkensturm, will henceforth be your queen. The Asari are our enemy, but fear not. I have attained the power of kings spoken of only in legend. As your queen, stand by my side, and we will prevail even against the most powerful foe. Fight for Belka! Fight for victory! And show no mercy to those who oppose us!"

"You are not very wise, Belkan girl…"

Elaine turned around and saw herself face to face with Marasfithal. Four dark glowing orbs circled around her.

"…to plunge your kingdom and your people into certain death."

"I shall show you who plunges whom into death! Schwertkreuz, _Buch der Dunkelheit!_ Reinforce! _Goldener Zorn Belkas!_"

Time seemed to slow down as the massive magical energy first concentrated in one point and then expanded with brutal force, incinerating everything in its path. Marasfithal was burned badly despite using her full power to shield herself.

"Impossible…" she muttered in pain. "…what manner of spell…uggh…"

"Hahaha…this power…finally…_finally_ I have attained it! Nothing can stop me anymore!"

Queen Elaine floated in the air, fifty meters above ground, in the middle of a monstrous crater. Dozens of people and Belkan knights had just died during her last attack but she didn't care at all. "Come, Asari, come and face me!"

"I am not done yet, foolish girl," Marasfithal looked up with a searing glare. "How long do you think I have lived, I have fought? I have beaten the wisest men in Al Hazard! I was the greatest mage of all, among even my own people! You want power? I shall give you a taste of _real_ power! _Xiraki Helfis Menamir!_"

The air itself around Marasfithal burst into flames, and the flames spread at incredible speed, right through Elaine's shield, right through her closed mouth, and into her nose. The air in her body was burning and destroying her.

The Golden Knight dropped to the ground, lifeless and burnt to death from the inside.

But the book was unfazed. "_Regeneration._"

Little did the Asari know the real enemy was the Book of Darkness itself and not the knight.

"_Grenzendurchbruch eingeleitet._" Hayate could virtually feel the air vibrating under the power of the powerful Belkan.

Marasfithal could feel it as well.

"Fool, do you want to destroy everything?" The Asari started shooting black beams and orbs at her enemy, but everything bounced off the distortion in space around her. Air was warping, changing and melting. Like something indescribable was eating through the fabric of reality.

Marasfithal knew that no one would get away safely from this attack, not even her sister. They had to retreat. The woman was completely insane.

"_Grenzendurchbruch vierzig prozent._"

Hayate desperately wanted to stop it, but her own magical energy was like a bucket in an ocean against Elaine's.

The people in the remainder of the castle could feel what was going on as well. A magical power was surging through the planet, sucking up its very life force. The most powerful black magic of all, an act of absolute destruction.

"_Grenzendurchbruch achtzig prozent._"

Elaine's body was breaking apart as the spell concentrated all its magical power in it. Hayate screamed out in pain inside as it happened. Would she die together with the body? Was there no way to return to her own time?

"_Grenzendurchbruch vollständig. Weltenende._"

=== Limitless ===

A place so unlike anything that she had ever seen or heard of. A place so full of things and yet completely void of any purpose, life or sense. The rules of reality did not apply. Hayate was floating in the middle of nothing, with more nothing in every direction. Not knowing what else to do, Hayate simply asked the nothingness.

"Where is this?"

"_Beyond all._"

"What do you mean by that? What is this place?"

"_Nothing and all._"

"You're not making sense."

"_Nothing ever does, by the universe standards._"

"What happened to me?"

"_You were brought here by an accident._"

"What is 'here' called?"

"_It has no name. Never had one, never will have one, and doesn't need one._"

"Explain to me where I am."

"_A place that will not exist until all of time has ended._"

"Then how can I be here now?"

"_Now is relative to where you are._"

"Who are you?"

"_You._"

"How can you be me? That doesn't make sense."

"_Sense is relative to what you are._"

"What _are_ you?"

"_The existence._"

"Of what?"

"_Everything that once was._"

"But you said this place only exists when all time has ended?"

"_That is correct._"

"Then how can you exist now?"

"_Now is not a point on the line of time. This is where everything arrives to rest._"

"This is the resting place of the universe?"

"_Rest is relative to where you have been._"

"So how do they rest here?"

"_They are._"

"What do you mean by that?"

"_They only exist without cause or effect, without action and reaction._"

"How can I leave?"

"_To leave you have to know where you are going._"

"When you said you are me, does that mean I too will come here after I die?"

"_You are here._"

"Does that mean I died?"

"_You were brought here. You did not arrive on your own._"

"So I'm alive?"

"_Your time has not ended yet._"

"I want to go back to my comrades."

"_To do that, you need to know where they are._"

"How do I determine where they are?"

"_You cannot._"

"Then how do I leave?"

"_You will not. For no one knows where anything in the universe is._"

"Is there another way to leave?"

"_Yes and no._"

"Can you be more specific?"

"_To leave, you need to be you. Right now, you are me._"

"So how do I leave, then? How do I become me—I mean you? I mean—how do I become what I need to be to leave?"

"_You need to know what you are._"

Hayate thought she was getting a headache, but seeing how there was no sense of physical existence in this place, there were no such things as headaches either.

"How did this place come into existence?"

"_At the end of time, the universe collapsed under its own existence. All became nothing and nothing became all and they both became me._"

"If the universe collapsed, how can there still be other universes?"

"_There are as many universes as there are decisions in time. When an universe ends, it becomes me, and me becomes it, and we become one._"

"I know who I am. I'm Hayate Yagami from Earth."

"_That is incorrect._"

"Why do you say that?"

"_You are that individual but you are also not. All of Hayate Yagami's times did not reach to this place._"

"Then what am I?"

"_Hayate Yagami and yet not._"

"**You are a curious being. You are not a Belkan after all, are you?"**

Another voice, strongly resounding inside her head. The voice of a powerful ruler and fighter—Elaine Wolkensturm.

"Why are _you_ here?"

"**I'd like to know that as well."**

"Existence, is she the one who brought me here?"

"_That is correct._"

"**Well, I assume that is that."**

"Your spell…it must have caused it. What does it do?"

"**It ends the world."**

"What, specifically? I am a mage too, I want to understand the technical aspect."

"**It causes the breakdown of the lowest layer of reality. It's a chain reaction. Take out the main pillar of a building, and the entire complex collapses. Weltenende does this."**

"Why would you use that?"

"**I did not."**

"I saw you do it."

"**You saw my body use it. That does not mean _I_ did it."**

"Then what—"

"**The power was so great that it had a will of its own. It demanded from me to cast the spell. I had no choice."**

"You're lying."

"**Believe what you will. It matters not, for we are stuck here."**

"It does seem so. Stuck in nowhere."

"**But who are you? You seem familiar with my magic."**

"I'm from several hundred years in the future, looking at it from your point of time."

"**Knowing that there are monsters like Vysfila that control and manipulate time at their whim, I am inclined to believe you."**

"Vysfila has taken over most of the universe in my time. She was sealed for hundreds of years and was recently released. I belong to the last few that fight against her."

"**No matter what time, it seems she always remains as the source of conflict."**

"I want to go back to my time and fight. I'm not giving up. I don't want to be stuck here for eternity."

"**I don't think there is a way out of here, but if you do manage to get us out, I will be in your debt."**

"I am Hayate Yagami and Elaine Wolkensturm. Is that who I am?"

"_That is correct._"

"How can I be both?"

"_You both arrived here together. So you are one. But only half of you will remain if you leave. Chose wisely, which half._"

"I have a place to return to. Elaine does not. I will remain."

"**You cannot decide—"**

"Oh, yes I can. You blew up a _universe_. You have no right to leave. So how do _I_ leave?"

"_Know who you are and where you belong and you will leave._"

Hayate knew where she belonged and who she was, but nothing was happening. She couldn't really reason with the voice that was answering her in cryptic messages. She belonged at the side of her friends, to Nanoha, Fate, her knights, and the others. She belonged where the fight against the Asari was happening.

"**I see you're still here."**

"And so are you."

Everything she tried bore no result. She was stuck in the middle of nowhere—literally. The voice only responded, never spoke first. Elaine was quiet as well. Time was a constant where they were, and so was space and reality. Nothing moved. Nothing changed. It was the end of all things.

It was impossible to tell how fast a second went by. Just counting them was useless. The voice had said that time is relative to where one is. At least it gave Hayate time to think.

"In my time, in my world, I hold your book and staff. I became the Golden Knight of Belka myself just before I was thrown back in time, inside your body. It seems that even after all that time, a small part of your consciousness was still alive, looking for a suitable host."

"**It is hard to believe a human could achieve the power to wake _me_, an empress of Belka."**

"Your experiments on unison—Reinforce died after the Book's security mechanism went out of control. From her remains I created Reinforce Zwei, a unison device in the image of her but just like Agito, the name of the small unison device you deemed a failure. Her name is Agito too. Those two brought out the power to let me become the Golden Knight of Belka and fight off Tyreithar."

"**You are capable of entering unison with _two_ devices? You must be lying. You're only human. Not even Belkans could take that."**

"My body was dying because of it."

"**I do not understand humans. We Belkans are different from you. We are sturdier, stronger, live longer, and are powerful warriors. You humans always strive for things you cannot attain."**

"You're wrong. Humans have the potential to overcome any obstacle. That is why Belka vanished and was lost, and Mid-Childa, the human era, arrived."

"**Your future has serious problems."**

"So did your present."

"**I cannot believe a human managed to do what I didn't dare. Unison with _two_ devices? That truly might be enough to grant you the power of the Golden Knight, hidden within the depths of the Book of Darkness."**

"In my days, the Book's real name is Tome of the Night Sky. And even so, the dual unison is life-threatening if the devices are not in emotional synchronization."

"**Which is why I considered it impossible to begin with."**

"But it is thanks to your power that I was able to fight off the Asari. I think you're evil to plot your brother's downfall and I cannot agree with your methods of research—"

"**You're human. You know nothing of Belka and the fierce wars we fought. Kaiser and empresses were fighting each other for superiority. To rule to is to have a chance to become the true ruler of Belka. My brother was weak and a pacifist. He even considered letting the Asari into our midst. I was right in what I did."**

"The three spells in the back of the book—one of them is Freyja's Rejuvenation. What does the spell do?"

"**Why would I tell you? How do you even know about the three Reigns?"**

"The Book of Darkness changed hands many, many times, together with its guardians."

"**Guardians?"**

"Your researchers and the bodies you cloned. They have become the guardians of the book. Crimson Knight Signum. Knight of the Lake, Shamal. Knight of the Iron Hammer, Vita. Guardian Beast Zafira. Those four are my most trusted allies and family in my time. They are the people you killed and absorbed into the book."

"**Why would Belkans serve a human?"**

"They served whoever owned the book. They know little of Belka. Each time the book changed hands, their memories were wiped. They know nothing of you and how they were created. Neither does Agito."

"**How could my book change hands? It must be here, with us."**

"I never took your body in my own time. History must have taken a different course and the book must have been taken from you, one way or another. And there is something else you need to know—my linker core, my magic source, has been merged with that of the book. Part of you sleeps within me."

"**What are you getting at, human?"**

"If I could take the core of the book, I can take you. I will 'kill' you and absorb you. And then I will be free to leave."

"**You're one to talk about evil and methods, saying something like that. You are welcome to try, peasant. Try and break the will of the Empress of Belka, Elaine Wolkensturm!"**

"I have long since started. I learned about you, I know about you, and I taught you about me. You are becoming part of me as we speak. You cannot fight back. There is nothing here. You are mine, Golden Knight of Belka. And your power will be of much use to me."

"**I like your ambitions, human. You are talking like a real Belkan queen. But you miscalculated. It will be not you who will have control in the end. It shall be me."**

"We will see about that."

=== Limitless ===

They kept guard even as their flame of life disappeared. Even now, they stood by her side, unmoving and frozen in time. The proud and loyal knights stood at the side of their mistress.

Hayate was dead.

And with her death, the Wolkenritter too, died. Hayate had successfully fought off Tyreithar and saved the crew of the two ships. There were less than ten total causalities. But the price had been high.

Hayate was found in a sea of blood, dying. Unable to move, unable to speak, it was as if her spirit had already died. All that saw her could tell that no healing magic in the universe could save her. All help had been too late. Her body was breaking down before their eyes.

Signum carried her mistress back to the _White Devil_, knowing that her end was near. People moved out of her way and stood still, their heads lowered. They all knew that it was Hayate who had saved them. The effort of a single woman had saved the lives of so many of them.

Rein and Agito had been found unconscious next to Hayate. Rein too, would meet her end when Hayate died. Agito was the sole exception, as she was not directly linked to Hayate.

Nanoha and Fate were there with Hayate when her body gave in to injury and breakdown. Signum, Shamal, Vita, and Zafira, two to each side of the bed, stood in their full knight armor, their heads high with tears running from their eyes, but proud expressions on their faces.

Hayate's sacrifice had not been in vain, that much they knew.

Nobody dared to interrupt the mourning on the _White Devil_. The news of General Yagami's death spread quickly. The Wolkenritter and their mistress were dead. It was a shock for many, realizing that no matter how powerful one was, no one could cheat death.

Nanoha cried herself to sleep on the edge of Hayate's bed after the four knights closed their eyes for their last slumber. Fate was there with her, standing next to the dead Signum. Their history together had been lively, good and bad times. Their first meeting definitely classified as the latter, but they grew close soon afterward. Before a year had passed, Hayate had become their best friend and the Wolkenritter much-loved comrades.

War always claimed those who did not deserve to be taken. And for it to take Hayate…Fate shed silent tears, unable to disturb their last slumber with wild sobbing. She owed them at least that much respect.

They were not the only ones who took it hard. Subaru and Teana were in their quarters, silent as they mourned the loss of a good friend. They had been younger than the three aces, but they were still friends. They could barely believe their eyes when the proud Signum carried her mistress through the corridors, her armor stained with Hayate's blood, crying silent tears of certainty.

Vita cried and cried until she could no longer shed any tears. Mustering all her pride as a Wolkenritter, she did just as the others did, stand proud and await the end of her long, long life that had spanned over centuries.

Shamal and Zafira had not said a word and they didn't need to. Shamal had known it would happen, that her mistress would sacrifice herself if it had to be done…but the truth was still hard to accept. Shamal didn't fear death. She didn't fear that there was no afterlife. The one thing she was truly afraid of was to be left behind when Hayate moved on, to be separated from her family.

No one had ever seen Zafira cry. Standing tall, he lamented that he was not strong enough to guard his mistress from the Asari. But even so, he knew Hayate would not want this. Tears for a lifetime ran from his eyes, and yet he did not let out a single sound. His will was iron, and so was his servitude. He remained strong and proud until the very end.

"I can't believe she is gone…" Subaru's voice was hoarse and heavy. She had fought many hard battles in her life, survived many a life-threatening situation. But nothing had ever been as hard as fighting back her tears now.

Teana didn't say anything. Her eyes were red and she was lying facedown on her bed.

"…I wonder if I could go on if you died." Subaru was always the type to say what was on her mind. Tears built up again and her throat hurt. She was not as close to Hayate as her knights or Nanoha and Fate. She couldn't even imagine what it was like to permanently lose someone that close.

Teana leaned against Subaru's back, hugging her from behind. No reassuring words, no false promises of telling her to go on living if she died. "I couldn't. I love you, I live with you. And I will die with you, no matter where that might be."

"Tea…" Subaru closed her eyes and said nothing more. She felt the same as her partner and they needed no more words to tell each other that.

The crew of the _White Devil_ learned soon that bad news came seldom alone. After being asked by Chrono, Reinforce did a scan of their coordinates. They were lost in empty space, so far away that the next planet was millions of light years away. And their hyperspace drive was broken and could not be fixed.

He asked the ALIAS to keep it a secret and calculate how long it would take to reach a habitable world based on the database. The result was devastating. Even if they fixed everything they could, even if they would dismantle the _Black Thunder_ and try to repair the _White Devil_ with that it would take them more than four hundred years to reach a planet that could barely sustain human life.

And matters got worse. They were not just lost, but constantly pulled further away from populated space. A black hole of tremendous size, likely responsible for the near infinite empty waste of space, was pulling them away.

Chrono was not one to give up easily, but after thinking through every possible means, he just couldn't find a solution. No one could come up with a solution, and with every passing hour, they were drawn further towards the black hole.

The people on board the _Black Thunder_ had been prepared to give their life for the battle, so most of them were not terribly shocked when Chrono made his last speech.

"This is your captain speaking."

A moment of silence followed. He had already made up his mind.

"As you are all aware, General Hayate Yagami passed away after the last battle. I would like to tell you that her sacrifice had not been in vain. But that is sadly what we discovered. We're millions of light years away from the next habitable planet, and there is no chance of repairing the broken hyperspace drive. We went over many plans, even those that would result in a large portion of us giving their lives for a few survivors. I was prepared to lay down position and life to let even half of you who joined me in this fight survive. But reality is not as kind as that."

Chrono's speech was without video feed until now. He had spoken while he dressed himself in his formal admiral's attire. He stood tall and proud for all to see now.

"We're also in the pull of a black hole at the center of a gargantuan void in space. There is no backup plan this time. There will be no heroic sacrifices made. I am truly sorry and ashamed that even after General Yagami's sacrifice, we still are doomed. I applaud all of you who had the courage and the guts to join our fight. I applaud all of you who fought bravely for freedom. But this is the end. I can no longer lead you anywhere. I can no longer give any orders. For this time, there is nothing we can do. It was a honor to fight with you."

Up until now his face had been stern and heroic, but even Chrono was not immune to the dread of inevitable death.

"I pray that we all will be granted safe passage to heaven."

Those were his last words. The audio link cut off and only those who were near the captain's quarters could hear the faint sound of a gunshot being fired. They knew that many would follow that route, to go ahead of those who were more afraid to die.

Nanoha and Fate had not been as shocked by the revelation that Chrono had taken his life as they thought they would be. Teana and Subaru had already reached the peak of grief and sadness and such they could no longer feel shock.

A day passed, and quite a number of people on the _Black Thunder_ made the same decision as their captain. The survivors just sat around in depression and hopelessness. There was nothing to do but wait for food and water to run out.

A week passed, and only a handful survivors remained. No word from the _White Devil_ had been heard since Chrono's speech.

A month passed.

=== Limitless ===

Hayate had reached a different place. It felt like she had struggled for an eternity for superiority inside her own mind. In the end, even though she came close to surrendering a few times, Hayate prevailed against an empress of Belka.

What she faced now was a challenge of a different kind. Before and around her were countless gates of black stone. Even after flying up and looking at the area from above, there were gates as far as she could see.

"_A visitor. How rare._"

Hayate couldn't believe her eyes when she looked at herself, right in front of her. While she wore her barrier jacket, the other Hayate was simply naked.

"_Do not fret, child of man. You see me as what you are. So do all visitors of this place._"

"Where is this?" Hayate was sick of riddles and cryptic messages already.

"_The crossroads of decisions. Each of these doors represents a decision in your life._" The other Hayate flew a few circles around the original one, not the least ashamed to be naked.

"Each of these? Just how many are there?" Hayate couldn't even imagine how many decisions she had made in her life.

"_There are 117,029,862 decisions in your life up until your body died_." Hayate didn't even try to absorb that number and understand it.

"So I can do part of my life over?"

"_Yes and no. Fate does not permit those who visit the crossroads to step through the gates. They are to be only windows for what-ifs in their past. But you were removed from history by accident and caused a tear in time by changing history. That decision must be undone. Fate grants you one chance to return to your real time and space. You have but two gates to choose from, so choose wisely._"

"Who are you that you know all this?"

"_A guide. That is all I can tell you._"

When Hayate looked around only two gates had remained, the others vanished into the shadows when she had not looked.

"_First, let's look at what has become of those left behind after your removal through time._"

Nothing could have prepared Hayate for what she saw when the gates before her opened.

Hayate stood before herself and her knights. A ghostly apparition, invisible for all.

"_This is a month after you left._" The guide's voice was in her ears.

Even after a month of her death, Hayate's knights stood strong and proud by her side, protecting her even after her and their death. Their loyalty, their dedication and their friendship drove tears to Hayate's eyes.

"_Not a single soul has survived. Stranded in space with no hope of return. This was not supposed to happen. Your death was not supposed to happen. Time itself was violated, and that cannot be left as it is._"

Hayate stood before Signum, barely listening to the guide. "Even now…even now you protect me." Touching Signum's face, she felt her skin, cold as ice. "You four…even like this…even like this they still continue to protect me."

The scenery changed, and Hayate was now outside the ship, in space. It took her a moment to realize that she was not going to die because she was just a spirit viewing what happened after her decision to cast Freyja's Rejuvenation.

A couple, tightly holding each other and sharing one last eternal kiss. Venting themselves into space after all hope was lost. Subaru and Teana were drifting, frozen and dead, through space. Hayate could no longer cry. For the situation to be so bad that even those girls would give up their lives in such a way. Her heart ached, but she could no longer cry.

The scene changed again, and this time, it was something different. Nanoha and Fate were still alive, if one could call it that. They hovered inside a magic crystal. They had used all of their magic energy to eternally preserve themselves and their love, to die and hope that there was a heaven for them to be together was too vague a chance. They could not take a risk like that.

Their soul and their linker core itself used up to create what would become their own utopia, a sleep that would only end when the universe itself collapsed. Hayate noticed that they were holding an image together. The light was bad, so it was difficult to see, but she knew who was in the photo.

"Enough…enough already. Why are you showing me this?" Hayate didn't want to see the rest.

"_To make you understand._"

Next was Chrono, and Hayate finally felt like throwing up. His body was preserved by the vacuum of space, but he had blown off his head. The gun still in his hand. Chrono had taken his life like a real man.

And last was Carim. Kneeling in her quarters, eyes closed and head lowered, Carim had died praying.

"Enough…just…don't show me any more." Hayate was on her knees, unable to understand what these people must have gone through at the end.

Hayate was overwhelmed with regret. She could have never imagined that things would turn out like this…

Before she knew it, they were back at the crossroads. The gate closed, and Hayate looked up at the guide. "I need to change this."

"You will. But know this—change is neither better or worse. Every decision is a crossroads, no matter how small it seems."

And with those words, the second gate opened before Hayate.

=== End of Mission Seven ===


	8. Survival

_**Limitless**_

=== Mission Eight ===

**Survival**

"Close the hangar gate! Abort hyperspace jump and run safety diagnostic on the hyperdrive!" Hayate barked.

She had seen the future that would come about if they followed through with the jump. There was no decision in whether she cast Freyja's Rejuvenation or not. Many important people would die if she didn't.

But Hayate had learned a lot about the Tome of Night Sky and the magic she was using. She herself carried the spirit of an Ancient Belkan empress, a true ruler and living legend of the battlefield. She needed her four guardians to do what she needed to do.

As she floated in the middle of the hangar, Hayate threw Schwertkreuz in the ground right below and initiated a spell. She now knew how to do it correctly. Most of the Book's secrets had been revealed by taking in the knowledge that Elaine, the creator of the Book, had possessed.

"Light that shines at the end of ages, golden glimmer in the darkest pitch. Herald of the time when I shall strike true at my enemy and triumph be my name!" Time itself slowed down. It took a lot out of Hayate, but she was no longer unsure of what the spell did. "First Reign of Belka! _Freyja's Rejuvenation!_"

Those present in the hangar could have sworn they saw an orb of light stretching out from the staff their golden savior had rammed into the ground. The light penetrated them and with the light came pain that none of them had ever endured before.

It was a spell so powerful that only those related to the Ancient Belkans could use it. Hayate was lucky to have her linker core merged with that of the Book's, for there was no one else who could cast the spell. The orb engulfed quickly the entire ship, and soon even _The White Devil_.

"Agito. Rein. Are you okay?" Hayate was concerned about the well-being of the two unison devices.

Rein opened her eyes briefly, looking at Agito's face. They were floating hand in hand, facing each other, concentrating solely on trying to remedy the chaos that was going on inside Hayate's body. Rein and Agito's synchronization rates were good, but nowhere near perfect, which was what they desperately needed.

"I'm fine…Hayate, are you okay?" Rein asked.

"I will be. This will hurt a lot. I'm sorry, but it's the only way." Hayate had barely finished speaking when the spell's effect took full control of her body. Pain rocketed through her like she was being sliced apart from the inside. It felt like her blood had turned into tiny metal fragments cutting her apart.

Rein couldn't maintain her concentration and almost passed out from the pain. Rein and Agito shared Hayate's feelings while in unison. The blue-haired girl was surprised when Agito grabbed her by her shoulders and hugged her, unwilling to break off the dual unison.

"_Endure it. Endure it._" Agito could barely talk, but she refused to give in.

Unable to float anymore, Hayate hit the ground, her body spasming. While other people endured the pain and some even remained standing, Hayate took it worse than anyone else on the two ships. Her body had been on the verge of breaking down after all.

In a way, Freyja's Rejuvenation was an incredibly powerful healing spell capable of even resurrecting the dead, But it came with heavy limitations. The spell created a temporary hole in time which reversed time itself inside the spell's target zone. On the other hand, the spell corrupted the time-space continuum badly and could potentially create a black hole if carried on for too long.

"Rel—Relea—" Hayate tried her best to end the spell, but the pain was holding her practically in place. Gritting her teeth and grabbing Schwertkreuz with one hand, Hayate collected all of her willpower to force her body to listen for just a short moment. "_Release!_"

The pain stopped. The orb vanished and people dropped to the ground, exhausted by the spell's effects.

"Co…commence hyperspace jump. Designated target point, Ullorian System." Hayate issued her orders as she slowly got up. She still maintained her form as the Golden Knight.

"Rein…Agito. It's okay. You can stop…now." Hayate dropped to the floor again just after saying those words. Her golden glow vanished instantly as Rein and Agito left her, both shaken by the experience. Blood ran from their noses.

To the surprise of the healthy people, those believed to be lethally wounded or even dead were coming back to life. The spell was dangerous and had tremendous side effects on the universe, but it was potent, and it did not exclude the caster from its effects.

"Commencing hyperspace jump in ten…nine…" People all over the ship proceeded to hold on tight and get everyone in close proximity into a safe position. Hayate believed she saw _something_ dent the hangar gate in with enormous force just before everything went white.

=== Limitless ===

"How is she, Shamal?" Fate asked.

Fate and Nanoha were standing next to Hayate, who was once again returned to the sick bay of _The White Devil_.

"I'd love her to explain how she survived all of that and got _better_ on top of it. That spell she cast…I've never heard of it. But it's the only logical explanation I can come up with. We'll have to wait for her to wake up."

Shamal had run a few tests on everyone previously injured and it looked like every single wound from the battle was gone.

"It's not a curing spell," she continued. "Otherwise Nanoha would have her voice back and you your sight. There are some injuries left from before, too. I never knew she could do this…"

The other three knights were, on Shamal's orders, helping with repairs on _The Black Thunder_. The hyperspace jump had been executed successfully and they were floating in space two hours' normal drive distance away from an independent trading planet called Ulloria.

The area consisted of a system of planets that suffered from a weak sun and an extremely high crime ratio. The only inhabited planets were ravaged by constant storms and rarely saw a single ray of sun. Most of the population lived underground, far from the rain and dirty atmosphere on the surface.

"Testarossa," a voice said from behind them. "Chrono and Carim asked me to bring you and Nanoha as representatives of _The White Devil_ over on _The Black Thunder_. They want to discuss our future course of action."

Signum had shown up in the sick bay. She hasn't used the intercom so she could take a look at her mistress. After Nanoha and Fate left, Signum and Shamal remained with Hayate.

"How is she?"

"Better than before. Her body isn't breaking down anymore. I'm happy, but I don't know what happened. How are Rein and Agito?" Shamal sat down in a chair and sighed. She preferred the sick bay to be empty, even if it meant she had nothing to do.

"They're helping Vita and Zafira with repairs," Signum answered. "I had to yell at them to stop blaming themselves for Hayate's collapse. I have a feeling Hayate has a lot of explaining to do when she wakes up."

Signum slowly walked up to Shamal, leaned forward and looked into her face. "You look sick. Even I can tell that much. How much have you slept the last few days?"

"Not much. I've been pretty busy." Shamal sighed and rubbed her cheeks. She was feeling tired, more so than ever before. She smiled at her old friend. "Are you worried about me, Signum?"

"Of course I am. Hayate is stable, isn't she? Just get some sleep, even if it's only a few hours. Hayate is going to be really angry if she wakes up and you have those bags under your eyes. I'm going to send Vita back to keep an eye on _you_, Shamal. She's been working the entire time. She needs a break."

Shamal knew her friends too well to just agree to that. "Okay, I'll get some sleep. Just let Vita stay and do her thing. You know she's a really hard worker. She'll just get nervous and bored sitting around here. I'd get no sleep at all."

"You've always been a little shrewd, Shamal, but I like that about you," Signum said. "I should leave. I was asked to attend the meeting instead of Hayate. I'll see you later."

Signum left behind a very tired Shamal who just sank back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few seconds.

At the same moment, Nanoha led Fate through a number of corridors to Chrono's office. Carim and Chrono, the two commanders of _The Black Thunder_, were already waiting. The office looked a bit chaotic, but Chrono had been too busy organizing people and repairs to clean up his office.

"I asked Signum to attend too. Where is she?"

Chrono's answer walked through the door just seconds after he asked.

"We're all here. Good. I would've liked to postpone this until Hayate wakes up, as she's your commanding officer, but this can't wait. I'll make this short. We don't have anywhere near enough fuel and supplies to get to Laervion. There is also the issue that Tyreithar is most likely pursuing us as we speak."

"Hayate was able to fight toe to toe with her, which was pretty amazing. Nanoha and I didn't make much of an impact in comparison." Fate spoke for both herself and Nanoha, as one of them still lacked the ability to speak.

Signum stepped in the discussion. "We shouldn't rely on Hayate. Shamal said she's better than before, but that doesn't mean she'll survive the next time fighting like that. Until Rein and Agito manage to perfect their synchronization, it'll be very dangerous to use the Golden Knight. And I'm not sure that those two will ever reach that level of understanding and get along with each other."

"This might sound cruel, but they need to, Signum," Chrono interjected. "None of us can hold a candle to Tyreithar. You've seen her crazy magic. Hayate literally obliterated her and she still came back."

"You can't just _want_ to work on it and have it mystically happen, Chrono." Fate knew what he was getting at, but things just didn't work that way.

Carim had been silent until then. "It's useless to argue about this," she said. "I'm sure they're already working on it. Hayate is loved by her guardians, so they're going to try their hardest. Isn't that right, Signum?"

The crimson knight just gave an approving nod and the discussion returned to the matter at hand.

"I'm pretty sure that Hayate made us jump to this space because she knew we wouldn't have enough provisions to get all the way to Laervion. Ulloria is dangerous, but also the only place we can get supplies without attracting the attention of the Asari."

"I find it weird that the government just said, 'Yes, go ahead' and let Vysfila take over," Signum said. "You'd think they would've put up a fight." Signum was not very interested in politics, so she knew very little of how it all happened.

Chrono was well informed and knew that the government had been oppressed and had cooperated with the Asari out of necessity, not because they had wanted to. "They didn't give up. They prevented genocide. You've seen what Tyreithar can do. I don't know of anyone in the entire TSAB who is even remotely as powerful as Hayate when she uses what you call the Golden Knight—and she still lost. There are three more of those monsters out there, and we all saw that they're capable of planetary destruction. Would you put billions of lives at stake for the microscopic chance that someone could take them down?"

"Ulloria is a crime pool. It's right between the TSAB control zones, so there's basically no law at all down there." Carim had been to the planet once, undercover.

"We need spare parts, food, water, and weapons. The list is longer than I'd like to admit." Chrono went over a few things just in his mind. "The most difficult part will be spare parts. This ship is built with the latest technology, so parts are going to be really hard to get."

Signum knew a little about the crime world herself. "How do you expect to pay them? Most of the trade on Ulloria is pretty much that—direct trade. No money involved."

"That's what I called you here for—to come up with an answer for that particular problem." Chrono was not pleased that he couldn't present a solution to the problem himself.

"In the worst case scenario, we could threaten to blow up the planet if they refuse to cooperate. I know Hayate will be against this, but if it comes down to it, they can't refuse us that way." At times, people thought Signum didn't think hard enough.

"There are many forms of illegal gambling on the planet. Arena battles, highly dangerous races, all sorts of regular gambling and casinos…I think those are our best bets. We have some really powerful people on these ships. Signum would make an excellent gladiator. If Fate could see, she would make an excellent racer too."

Carim earned surprised looks from everyone except Fate.

"What?" she said. "Just because I'm the head of the Saint Church doesn't mean I don't know about these things."

"I'm just surprised you'd suggest gambling our way through it. That's really risky." Chrono preferred a safer way to do things, although sometimes there wasn't a choice—for example, the Book of Darkness incident and the escape from Mid-Childa.

"This whole mission is so risky…gambling our way to wealth is almost a joke in comparison. I see what Carim means," Signum said.

"I don't think this is a wise idea. It's one thing to risk your life in battle on a mission, but to risk it for gambling…that's different." Fate was not pleased with the idea of gambling their way to what they needed.

Carim was not so much displeased by Fate shooting down her idea as by her idealism. "No offense, Fate, but if you have a better and safer idea, I'm all ears," she replied. "But don't even think that asking nicely will get you anywhere down there."

Fate remained awkwardly silent. She knew there weren't many alternatives. They had no valuables to trade, and money wasn't exactly a huge factor in the economy of Ulloria.

Chrono saw that the meeting was going nowhere. Ulloria was a dangerous spot, but it was outside the control of the Asari, and thus much safer than most other planets for the time being.

"Before we decide on anything," he finally said, "we'll land the ship on the planet and look around. Until Hayate recovers, I'm your commander, and I expect you to follow my decisions. I won't make them on my own unless there's no time to consult you, but if it comes to it, I expect you to follow without question."

Everyone else in the room simultaneously said, "Yes sir." They had been in the military for years; they were used to deferring to authority.

Signum, Nanoha, and Fate left quickly. Only Carim remained with Chrono in his office.

"You know what it's like on Ulloria, Chrono. Why suspend a decision only to confirm what we already know?"

Carim hadn't objected in front of everyone for a very specific reason. The last thing they needed was internal strife.

"It will be easier for them to accept it if they see the situation on the planet themselves. As you suggested the idea, I assume that you will be participating yourself, Carim." Chrono sat down in his chair and pulled up some damage reports.

"I will," Carim answered. "I'm not the type to just blow out suggestions and then idly sit around. This is not the Saint Church. The TSAB is mostly gone. We're only upholding the rank system because it serves us. I know that."

Carim walked to the door and left.

=== Limitless ===

Shamal was woken by some grunting and moaning noises.

"Hayate?" She was on her feet in less than a second. Her mistress was coming to, but she looked to be in pain. "Hayate? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Panicking for a second, Shamal quickly started running an analysis on her mistress's body.

"My head…it feels like it's going to burst…" Hayate blurted out the words before she heard a loud sigh.

"You're lucky the first thing you have to complain about is a headache. I…I really thought you were done for, Hayate."

Now that the pressure of her mistress's life being in danger was gone, Shamal's dignity and composure melted faster than a snowball in hell.

"Hayate!" Shamal hugged her mistress, infinitely relieved that she was still alive.

Hayate smiled and patted her guardian's head. She had corrected history, but she still remembered what she had seen—the face of her guardians and herself, proud even in death. But that was no longer real. She could forget it all as a bad dream now.

"You're so reckless! I'm never gonna let you fight like that again!" Shamal's voice was distorted by suppressed sobs.

"I know, I know."

Hayate was still smiling when Signum came in to check on Hayate, only to find Shamal half on the bed, furiously hugging and sobbing on their mistress.

"Hayate…" Signum's eyes widened to see Hayate looking so well. Since she was not the type to let her emotions run free like Shamal or Vita, Signum sat down on the bed, looking at her mistress's face. She had only once before felt so relieved, and that was when Hayate had beaten the Book of Darkness for control.

"I'm all right, Shamal. I'm sorry to ask you this, Signum, when only you just got here, but can you call Vita and Zafira? I have something extremely important to talk about with you four."

Hayate's headache was bad, but she needed to tell them. Where they came from…who they were…and all about herself.

Signum had barely stood up when the door flung open so fast that there was little doubt who it was.

Vita didn't even bother to stop in the door. Instead she jumped on the bed, hugging Hayate. Shamal had calmed down a little and was now sitting next to the bed, looking at how happy Vita was to have her mistress back.

The sound of happy cries and sobs came from the sick bay when Zafira walked in, in his wolf form. When he moved slowly to the edge of the bed, Hayate patted his head and felt a great satisfaction that her family cared about her so much. Despite knowing who they really were, that they might have had families themselves hundreds of years ago, they were her family now. And that would never change.

It took a while for Vita to calm down, and it only got worse when Rein and Agito showed up. Agito was reluctant to show her emotions so freely, but after Hayate invited her as one of their own, she was overjoyed. The seven of them were finally alone when Hayate started her story.

The truth of Ancient Belka. The ambitions of the empress Elaine Wolkensturm, name-giver of the Wolkenritter. Their origins and the insane experiments the empress had conducted. How Agito was made, and that part of Elaine still resided in the Book though Hayate had taken full control of even that part.

"I still don't know how exactly the Book created you four. The bodies were there, and so were the linker cores, but…" Hayate was at the end of her story.

"Hayate, it doesn't matter who we originally were over four hundred years ago. None of us remember it and from what you told us, I don't want to remember. We are your family. We are your guardians. We live and die by your side. Nothing else matters." Signum could feel the burden on Hayate's shoulders. It was something nobody could take from her.

"I'm happy you told us about this, Hayate, but for us, nothing changes. You're our mistress and will always be. We chose to live the rest of our lives with you as your guardians. Whatever happens, we will be with you." Shamal smiled at Hayate as she said those words. The others were all thinking the same thing.

"Rein, Agito…" Hayate looked at the two unison devices who were sitting next to each other on the edge of the bed. "I know it's hard on you, but to fight the Asari, I need you two. The Golden Knight is something from hundreds of years ago. It has the power of a Lost Logia, if not more. It's the true secret of the Tome of Night Sky. I want to learn how to use it properly. I used it the first time without knowing anything about the real Golden Knight of Belka, but now I know everything."

"Hayate, it almost killed you! I'm still not sure how you even managed to get better, but I won't allow you to—" Shamal's words stuck in her throat when Hayate looked at her with eyes that made it clear she had made her decision already.

"I'm happy you worry about me, Shamal. I'm really happy. But things are different now. I know what this power is. I know where it comes from and what kind of power it is. It also depends on Rein and Agito, but I'm no longer confused about my own abilities."

"I want to try," Agito said, and looked down at the bedsheets. "I want to be useful. I was deemed a failure back then and I even used to be your enemy, but you're all so nice to me. You took me in. I…want to repay you for that." Agito had felt this way ever since Zest had died.

"I want to try, too. Even after Reinforce died, you didn't give up and created me. I'm part of your family. I love Hayate, and…everyone here." Rein blushed furiously while saying it, but she earned smiles and grins from everyone.

"For you two, nothing really changes. It all comes down to synchronization." Hayate knew that the real difficulty of properly controlling the Golden Knight was in her mind.

To control what was once designed to be the ultimate weapon of a Belkan empress, she had to become just that—a woman as strong and dependable as Elaine. To never fear any enemy, to stand her ground even in the face of breaking reality itself. But it was easier said than done. To become someone else was highly difficult.

Shamal sighed and stood up, checking her utilities. "Fine. I'll support your decision, Hayate. If this is what you want, I'll stand behind you. But I'm not going to let you do anything before you're fully recovered!"

"Signum, Zafira, Vita…you three know me best and you're also very strong fighters. You three will be my sparring partners when I practice controlling the Golden Knight. If I go out of control, it'll also be your job to shut me down. And to save me from Shamal's scolding!" Hayate laughed as she said the last few words.

"But we're all close-combat specialized, Hayate! Isn't it too much to fight against all three of us?" Vita wasn't sure she could properly fight against the one person she loved more than anyone else in the world.

"I was able to fight on even grounds with Tyreithar. You three will be the starting level. I'm sure that when I have full control of all the abilities of the Golden Knight, I'll be able to beat all three of you easily. You're very strong, but the Golden Knight is something out of this era. I'm scared to think of how powerful Elaine was while in full control of it." Hayate patted Vita's head. "You're strong. I trust you to handle this. I need someone who knows my limits so I can push ahead."

Signum wasn't entirely pleased with the idea either. "Are you really sure about this, Hayate? It's one thing to fight one very powerful foe, but to fight three people at once is something completely different."

"I'll do my best." Zafira was the only one who blindly trusted Hayate.

Signum and Vita saw the determination of their companion and sighed. If Zafira was up for it, then they would no longer question their mistress's decision.

"Now that we've talked about all that… how is the situation, Signum?" Hayate was curious as to what was going on in the ships.

"_The Black Thunder_ took some damage and they've been repairing ever since the jump. We're also slowly advancing to Ulloria for spare parts, food, and so on. There was a meeting earlier, too. Chrono, Carim, Nanoha, Fate and I discussed how we should go about getting things. You know that Ulloria is mostly trade-driven, and we don't have much money or anything to trade. I suggested just threatening to blow the entire planet to bits, but the others were against it."

Signum earned glares from the others. The suggestion was so very Signum that they just didn't know what to say.

"Carim suggested gambling—racing, fighting, casinos and the like. Fate was not too thrilled about it and I think neither was Nanoha. Reinforce has repaired most of our ship, but I think we could use some spare parts as well." Signum finished her short report.

"I agree with Carim's suggestion. Threatening them won't help us. They'll know we're bluffing, since if we blow them up, we're still not going anywhere. Ulloria is mostly lawless…gladiator fights, dangerous races…betting on them is the sport of the rich there. We have some highly skilled people on board, especially for fighting. I think that's what Carim was getting at." Hayate had grown quite used to being a commander.

"Signum, can you call Fate and Nanoha?" Hayate thought it was time to tell them what happened and that she was feeling better. "Vita, Zafira, Rein, Agito, you four please go and help with the repairs. Shamal, I'm well enough, so please go and help the doctors on _The Black Thunder_. My last spell should have saved most people, but I'm not one hundred percent sure."

Barely back on her feet, Hayate was already taking command.

=== Limitless ===

"That sounds like a horrible experience. Are you okay, Hayate?" Fate was worried about her old friend and so was Nanoha, who sat on the edge of the bed, holding Hayate's hands.

"I'm okay, thank you." Hayate didn't tell either party about the alternate future she had seen. They didn't need to know what would have become of them if she had not corrected history.

"And you're really going to train using that mode?" Fate wasn't convinced it was a smart idea, despite hearing how immensely powerful it was.

"It's our best bet to get rid of the Asari once and for all. I know you two are really strong, but you fought Tyreithar firsthand. You should understand."

"We're not going to let you fight all alone, Hayate." Fate smiled and put her hand on Nanoha's shoulder. She didn't need to see to know where her partner was.

"I've come up with new techniques many times over the past few years. So has Nanoha. We're not going to just stand idly by while you risk your life." Fate wasn't quite sure how to shell out a new technique out of nowhere. The process usually took a long time. She could feel Nanoha's hand on her own, her silent approval.

Hayate couldn't stand seeing her friends still injured. "Before you do any of that, we should fix your eyes. There's still something about the Book I haven't talked about yet, and I'm not sure if it'll even work, but Shamal just might be able to heal you."

"I'd really like to be able to see Nanoha again." Fate was still not very used to being blind, but with Nanoha at her side, she managed quite well.

"I'm going to need healing if Shamal catches me getting up and doing anything right now, though, so I'll stay put just for today. I trust Chrono to do the right thing." Just as Hayate had spoken, a screen popped up in front of her. "I was just speaking of you, Chrono."

"It's good to have you back, Hayate. We are on course for Ulloria. It's too dangerous to stay in orbit so we will bring both ships down to the planetary surface. _The White Devil_ can handle going through the atmosphere, I assume?"

Ever the cautious man, Hayate thought.

"If you are, then so are we. _The White Devil_ is a special ship, you should have realized that," Hayate answered. She took a deep breath. "Land the ships in close proximity to each other near these coordinates."

A virtual keyboard opened up before Hayate and she typed out the exact coordinates. "I've dealt with numerous missions and reports regarding Ulloria, so I know a little about it. This area is home to a special kind of mineral that will jam all kinds of radars and sensors. It's an observation nightmare."

"Repairs on _The Black Thunder_ are complete as they could be without spare parts. Your knights, specifically Zafira, have been a great help. Zafira managed to give the dead shield generator a kickstart and it's working again, for now." Chrono looked at a few reports and then addressed Hayate again. "I'll talk to you again later. We should compromise for unified leadership of the resistance."

With those words, the screen closed.

"I think I'll get some rest. I've been talking almost nonstop since I woke up, and my headache's only gotten worse. I'll see you two later." Hayate felt like her head was going to explode but she had to get those things done. Her body was no longer self-destructing, but the reversal had not been without side effects.

Nanoha and Fate left, leaving their friend to get some rest she desperately needed.

== Limitless ===

"You felt the change too?"

Rein was still doing some calculations on board _The Black Thunder_, her back to Agito. The ships were still docked with each other. Agito was just keeping her company.

"The whole time, it felt like Hayate didn't know how to deal with the increased mana flow, no matter how well we managed it," Agito said. "Then, all of a sudden, it normalized. Was that because she learned about the Book and the Golden Knight?"

Agito sat there and, without making much of a secret out of it, looked at Rein's butt. It was quite a cute butt, from her perspective.

"I noticed that too, but…there was something else. The moment the flow normalized, I felt…_something_. Like the eyes of a wild beast looking at its prey. I've been in unison with Hayate many, many times, but I've never felt something like that."

Rein stopped doing her work and turned suddenly around, which surprised Agito enough to make her fall off the edge she had been sitting on.

"I've only been with her a few times, so I couldn't tell that much. Do you think there is still something left from that Elaine person inside her?" Agito shivered at the idea.

"I couldn't tell that much. It was only for a few seconds. Then it vanished." Rein resumed her work, only to stretch a few seconds later.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what the best way to get along with someone was. Agito had thought of it before, but only solidified the idea after they'd spoken with Hayate over the Golden Knight. Of all the people she knew, Nanoha and Fate had the best relationship and they understood each other like no one else.

Rein was either oblivious to the idea of it or was a master of deception. Agito was unsure what to do. Just talking about it would be very awkward, and she knew herself well enough that she knew she would never get out the words right. Taking Rein by force would be one step forward, five steps back. The only approach she could think of was to subtly show her interest.

Agito found herself surprisingly interested when she thought about it. Rein was cute, and even though they had their differences, she was actually really nice. It wasn't anything like love, but Agito couldn't deny she was a little attracted now.

Rein finally finished her work and turned to Agito. "I'm happy we managed as well as we did back there. I always knew you were a really nice person."

Rein's words embarrassed Agito a little. She never really had people trust in her before she joined the TSAB.

"Say, Rein…do you think I should try to go into unison with any of the others? I reach a fairly high synchronization with Signum, but I've never even thought about trying with one of the other three."

"I've been in unison with all four, but…Vita is quite straightforward. You're mostly doing mana flow and bursts with her. Shamal is a supporter, so it's almost entirely calculations. Zafira is just mana bursts, really. Vita is the most difficult to handle because she's got a wild fighting style. But if you can handle Signum, you'd do fine with Shamal and Zafira." Rein counted the other knights and their abilities and thought about it some more. "If you can unison with Hayate and Signum, it's not a compatibility problem."

"I wonder what Shamal's magic feels like." For unison devices, the magic of their partner always had a particular feel to it. "Hayate's magic was quite overwhelming. I admire that you can deal with that so well." Agito had always found it difficult to just say what she thought, but sometimes it just worked out right.

"Hayate is really powerful, yes. Shamal and Zafira are both really composed and cool in battle. Zafira's magic feels like you're inside a massive mountain of ice. It's really cold, but not so much that it hurts you."

"That doesn't really go well with my affinity." Agito scratched her chin and tried to imagine Zafira bursting into flames after she did a mana burst. The image quickly turned into something hideous. "I think I'll stay with just Hayate and Signum for now…"

"It's quite ironic that your affinity is flame while mine is cold, isn't it? I'm going back to _The White Devil_. Are you coming?" Rein floated a few meters ahead of Agito until the other unison device followed suit without saying anything.

"I think it's kind of nice. Would be boring if we were both cold or flame-aligned." Agito had never really thought about it, but in many ways, they were like two parts of the same coin.

"I remember the first time we met." Rein grinned and floated in front of Agito. "I'd never met another one like me before then."

"Neither had I. I heard your predecessor was Reinforce and she was as big as a human. Signum told me that a while ago." Agito always wondered how that had worked. Was Reinforce a different design entirely?

"Hayate said that I'll be able to take a form like that in a few years. She wasn't sure about the specifics but one of the researchers at the TSAB said it depends on our magical power." Rein was secretly looking forward to that a lot.

"I wonder if the same goes for me." Agito couldn't quite imagine what she'd look like as human. Or actually as big as a human.

"What would be the first thing you'd do if you were as big as a human?" Rein was curious.

"I've never thought about that." Agito looked up and would have floated into a pipe if not for Rein pulling her to the side. "Thanks. What would I do…huh…" Agito just couldn't come up with anything. "What would _you_ do?"

Rein didn't even need five seconds to think about it. "Go on a water slide!"

"You..what?" Agito didn't quite know what to reply to that. "A water slide? Those things they have at the pool?" She had only been to the pool once, so her knowledge of these things was very limited.

"They're a lot of fun. Or so everyone else says. If I were even as big as Vita, I could use them, but like this…" Rein sighed and earned some sympathy points from Agito.

"Sounds like fun. I didn't know you've been to the pool though. You seem like the type to spend even your free time working on something." Agito was surprised to see a new side of Rein. Agito had little contact with Rein outside missions, so all she ever saw of Rein was the hardworking side.

"I just end up helping Hayate out. She's not that great with paperwork. But don't tell her I said that." Rein grinned and put a finger to her lips.

"Your secret is safe with me. I'm absolutely terrible at paperwork. I can't really say Signum is any better. She usually asks Shamal to take care of it." Agito found it extremely relaxing to just chitchat with Rein. She had never done it before, and given the situation they were in, it really relieved some stress.

"Is it true that Signum has a thing for Shamal? I've been with Hayate for many years and I still think those two like each other but are afraid to show it. They're too attached to Hayate." Rein didn't mind telling Agito her thoughts. Of all the people she knew, Agito was the only one she could talk to about things like this.

"Hm. I can definitely see Signum being attracted to Shamal." Agito was deep in thought, and with Rein not paying much attention, the redhead finally crashed into a pipe.

"Dammit, that hurt." Rubbing her forehead, Agito found herself blushing a little when Rein came very close to look at her head. "Close…"

"Seems like it's not gonna leave a bump," Rein said. "Did you say something?"

Agito was a little red in the face and turned away. "Promise not to tell anyone…but when I asked Signum what her type is, she said someone smart, caring, composed. When I asked her what she thinks about Shamal, she just went quiet and we continued the mission." Agito had just broken her promise to Signum by telling Rein about this, but she trusted the white-haired girl.

"I knew she had a thing for her. Before Hayate became the true mistress of the Book, Shamal used to look out for Signum. Even when she went on missions, Shamal was always the first to welcome her back and check on her." Rein had always been one to be curious about other people's relationships.

"They're into each other, aren't they?" Agito giggled.

"I think so too." Rein joined her.

"What's so funny, you two?"

They were surprised when they almost flew right into Carim, who was on her way to Chrono's office.

"Nothing!" they answered in perfect unison, and quickly left in the direction of _The White Devil_.

Carim just shrugged and made her way to Chrono's office. They were about to make the atmosphere drop and she wanted to talk to him about their plans. The news of Hayate's recovery had lifted the morale of the whole ship quite a bit, and even though Shamal had declared the sick bay off-limits to everyone, Carim had briefly talked to Hayate via intercom.

"Chrono?" Carim knocked briefly.

Chrono came out before Carim could go in. "I'm heading to the bridge to oversee the drop."

Moving through a planet's atmosphere was not without its dangers, especially when moving through one that was prone to extremely brutal thunderstorms.

"I want to be on the recon party, Chrono. I spent a lot of time going sour in the church. After the battle on Mid-Childa, I just can't go back to doing nothing." Carim was, despite the opinions others had of her, quite the fighter.

"I see no problem with that. You're strong enough to look after yourself, and you're not the type to do something stupid."

They reached the bridge quickly. Everyone was working diligently to make sure the drop went over without problems. Chrono opened a ship-wide channel and started his speech.

"We will now commence an atmosphere drop and land on the surface of Planet 652 outside TSAB control areas—Ulloria. For the duration of the drop, we will cancel the docking to _The White Devil_."

Chrono turned around and looked at the staff on their posts. "Commence break-up now."

The soldiers nodded, acknowledging the command, and initiated the procedure to break the docking between the two ships.

"Breakup finished, sir!"

"We will now commence the atmosphere drop." Chrono held onto a rail that ran around the captain's seat. "Commence in four…three…two…one…"

"Commencing orbital atmosphere to surface drop!" a soldier confirmed, and the whole ship shook. "Pressure shields at 37%!"

Chrono hated going through atmosphere drops. The sudden gravity, the shaking, and worst of all, it involved an atmosphere rise right afterward.

"Pressure shields at 68%!"

They were halfway through, descending at a few hundred meters per second. Most of the surface of the planet was ocean, much like that of Earth. The actual civilization was entirely underground because of the heavy rains that plagued the planet.

The ship shook violently once, and then everything was calm.

"Orbital atmosphere to surface drop completed. Pressure shields maxed out at 85%," one of the soldiers reported again.

"Good work, everyone. Those not engaged in repairs or maintenance are dismissed. Nobody has permission to leave the ship yet." Chrono gave his orders and turned to Carim. "You have permission to start recon, Carim. I am leaving the others on standby because the Ullorians don't know we're here yet. They don't need to know. Stay incognito, and get me a report of the situation down there in six hours."

"Understood." Carim held the storage form of her device, a golden cross, in her hand and left the bridge. She was not surprised, but thankful for Chrono's trust in her abilities. She knew there were reasons why he hadn't sent anyone from the crew of _The White Devil_.

After returning to her room, Carim put her hair into a wild ponytail and changed into a tight black leather suit that emphasized her curves. With her cross hidden in her ponytail, she only needed one quick move to pull Zeus.

Looking in the mirror, Carim took great care in putting colored contact lenses in her eyes. She now had shiny black eyes to match her suit. Before leaving her room, Carim grabbed a worn cloak from one of the soldiers who passed by. No one recognized her, but all could feel the air of authority coming from her. Despite her previous job, Carim was not to be trifled with if she became serious about a mission.

Nobody noticed when Carim Gracias left _The Black Thunder_ and headed off into the storm ravaging the surface outside.

=== Limitless ===

"I'm still against this…" Shamal was on standby, looking at the outside through a screen.

"Rein. Agito. Are you two ready?" Hayate was floating a few kilometers away from _The White Devil_ in the rain, the two unison devices next to her.

"I hate this planet. I'm ready." Agito felt that this time they would do better than before.

"Ready as usual!" Rein was a little excited.

Signum, Vita and Zafira were on standby on a nearby mountain that peeked through the ocean's surface.

"Are we really going to fight Hayate?" Vita was still concerned.

"We're only sparring. Even Nanoha and Fate sometimes spar against each other." Signum was more confident in her mistress.

"They're coming!" Zafira warned the other two.

Rein and Agito floated back to back, their hands together behind them, fingers intertwined and eyes closed. "_Dualis!_"

Hayate felt something unlock deep inside. Not just power, but desire—emotions that she had never felt before. The urge to destroy and dominate, to take everything with raw power. It was the will of Elaine. Hayate knew she could not use the Golden Knight without overpowering Elaine. To ignore or suppress her was what caused Hayate's body to partially reject the transformation.

A flash of gold almost blinded the three knights when Hayate changed from her normal form into the Golden Knight. Hayate breathed heavily, trying to maintain her sanity. Elaine's will was so strong that Hayate felt sick to her stomach just from stopping Elaine from taking over her mind.

"Adjusting mana flow." Rein and Agito spoke in unison. They were still a long way from perfect synchronization, but they had made some big steps towards it.

Hayate regained some of her composure and was finally able to get up and concentrate on battle.

"_Hræsvelgr!_" Hayate fired the massive destructive spell with barely any charging time at the mountain.

The three escaped the spell blast that obliterated the mountain, all heading in different directions. Zafira had excellent camouflage in the rain and vanished from Hayate's field of vision. Signum and Vita approached her from different directions both at once.

"_Refusal of Syn!_" Hayate created a large shield that completely swallowed her, shining like the sun in the sky. Vita hit the shield but barely dented it. Signum hit the orb with her full power to no effect at all.

"_Laevatein!_" Signum instantly loaded three cartridges and hit the orb again, this time with full power. This time she'd made a physical hole in it, but her attack had taken too much time.

"_Nifflheimr!_" Hayate's words echoed through the mind of her knight just before the black pillar hit Signum, sending her flying. The shield around her collapsed in the same moment when it was hit from every direction at once. Zafira's white spikes went through the shield, but not without difficulty.

"_Thrud!_" Hayate used a spell to get rid of Vita before she was attacked by two knights at once.

The last thing Vita had expected was for Hayate to attack her in close combat. The hit by Schwertkreuz felt like a whole spaceship had just rammed into her. Vita was thrown right through the air just before Hayate was hit by a binding spell from Zafira.

"_Rein, Agito, the next spell needs a strong burst,_" Hayate quickly told them via telepathy.

Zafira further increased the binding spell, first to four rings, then to eight. Someone who could simply smash Vita with a weapon and send her flying would have no problem breaking through one or two rings. Ten rings was the limit, even for Zafira, but so many ought to contain even the most monstrous magicians.

Signum, on the other hand, now had a good aim at the glowing knight now that she was farther away.

"_Bogenform!_" Signum transformed the sword into a bow and took aim. If Hayate took the sparring seriously, she must expect them to act just as seriously.

"_Flammensturm Falke!_" Unimpressed by the rain, a massive ball of fire formed before the arrow Signum was aiming at Hayate. It was a new combination attack Signum had learned roughly a year ago. Ten seconds passed, and Signum fired.

Hayate could sense that Signum's attack would be deadly if it hit her, even as the Golden Knight. But her own spell was almost done charging.

"_Ye who hath only rage_…" Rein and Agito could feel a huge channel open up and simultaneously ran a mana burst through it. "_Sandraudiga!_" Hayate suddenly could feel control slipping right through her fingers. The spell was too much for her!

"Signum, Vita, Zafira, _run!_" Hayate shouted at the top of her lungs.

Vita was the first to confront the spell. Something invisible cut her—once, twice, a dozen times, a hundred times. Vita heard Hayate's warning and dove right into the ocean below, out of the spell's attack range.

Zafira was next. As he concentrated all his mana into one barrier that only extended right around him, he felt an incredible impact. Thousand upon thousand of invisible magic slices, trying shred him to pieces. The spell was incredibly deadly. Zafira stood his ground, against his better judgment, and endured it.

Signum was the last one to be taken by the spell, and she tried to outrun it. At maximum speed, Signum saw the golden glowing mage in the distance shrink so quickly that she could no longer see it after a few seconds. Only after she had flown away at maximum speed for nearly a minute she felt the danger gone.

Rein and Agito canceled the dualis and separated from Hayate.

"I completely lost control…" Hayate looked at her hands. If her knights had not been so strong, they would all be dead now. _Sandraudiga_—she who dyes the sand red.

Zafira was the first to get close to Hayate. "What happened? That spell…I could feel the murderous intent." Zafira was not one to get scared easily, but that spell had sent shivers down his spine.

"I cast a spell and lost control. Vita! Is she okay?" Hayate suddenly felt panicky. She'd seen Vita take the effect of the spell.

"Takes more than that to kill me, but still, that wasn't pleasant at all. It ignored my armor and went straight for my skin." Vita was bleeding from several cuts, but the injuries were nothing a few hours of rest wouldn't remedy.

Signum had come back as well, and even Shamal had come out.

"Is everyone okay?" The Knight of the Lake was concerned. "Hayate, I'm banning you from using that spell for now!"

Whenever Shamal used that very specific tone, Hayate knew that all resistance was futile.

"You used quite a few new spells. I didn't know the Book knew those." Vita floated closer to Hayate and looked at her face. "Don't worry, I'm tough. This will heal in no time."

"A lot of the spells are written in Ancient Belkan. I can read them while I use the Golden Knight, but I can't use them like this. I'm not using them correctly yet either. I skipped the incantations for most spells because I wanted to see if I could control them still," Hayate explained and looked back to the ship. "Let's get back. I'm soaked."

With that, the training session was over.

The last three days had been tough for everyone. Carim had done several recon missions and the situation wasn't good. The trade on Ulloria was suffering from the Asari domination in the rest of the galaxy. Hayate had been training daily, and Shamal finally had given the okay to let Hayate use the Golden Knight in a mock battle. And then Hayate'd completely blown it.

To improve their synchronization, Rein and Agito were supposed to stay with Hayate at all times, and if possible, at least one of them would stay with her in unison. Hayate was very thankful for Reinforce's managing a mechanism to warm up and filter the cold ocean water. Ulloria's surface was often plagued by large storms. One could count cloudy days on one hand a year. And what the sun was….

"Did we channel too much energy for the spell?" Agito floated behind Hayate as she washed Rein's hair. Showering together wasn't exactly what she'd in mind when Shamal ordered them to stay with Hayate at all times, but there were worse things in life.

"The problem wasn't with you two—you did well. The stronger the spell is, though, the harder it is to overpower Elaine inside me. I could also feel her when I used the other spells instantaneously. I guess the only way to overcome this is to learn the incantations. But I need to use the Golden Knight to even read them." Hayate looked up. She secretly longed for a bath. A hot shower wasn't bad, but a bath was something she really longed for.

"From Shamal's last test, Rein and I are only at seventy percent synchronization, so you can't stay in Golden Knight for long." Agito wasn't very pleased that progress was so excruciatingly slow, but at the same time, the longer it took for them to get to a hundred percent, the more time she could spend with Rein.

"Can't Signum or Shamal translate the incantation for you? Shouldn't they be able to read them?" Rein wished there was somewhere to sit down. It was a little uncomfortable floating while Agito washed her hair.

"I asked Shamal two days ago. She said they're far too complex. I can likely write down the text and then use that to memorize them once I know what it says." A practical solution was the best solution in Hayate's eyes.

Hayate's right eye was still sore. She'd used Freyja's Rejuvenation on just Fate two days ago and managed to heal Fate's eyesight, but in return, her own right eye had suffered damage. Rein and Agito had also been exhausted afterwards. Hayate knew she couldn't use that spell carelessly anymore.

"I haven't seen Nanoha and Fate at all today or yesterday. Do you know where they went, Hayate?" Rein was curious about the two.

"Fate said something about going far out on the ocean to run a few tests together with Nanoha. You know how they are. They're probably trying to come up with something new so they can fight with the Asari." Hayate couldn't think of anything that would suddenly make them stronger. It was a miracle that she'd learned to access the Golden Knight when she had. Miracles didn't happen all the time.

Looking over her shoulder, Hayate found Agito and Rein done, so she turned off the water and grabbed a large towel. Her head hurt and she was hungry. When she wasn't using the Golden Knight, there was not a trace of Elaine. It really must be that part of her was inside the Book…

"It's your turn, Agito." Rein took a towel and dried herself off.

Hayate was pretty used to it by now. Agito and Hayate went into unison instantly, and Hayate's hair color changed to a reddish-brown shade. It had no other effect when she was not wearing her knight armor.

"_It's sorta boring to just go into unison and do nothing. Is this really going to help?_" Agito asked Hayate via telepathy.

"I don't think Shamal would make us do this if it didn't do anything," Hayate answered back, and dried her changed hair. Her hair color changed depending on the person she was in unison with.

Hayate looked out the window while thinking about the mock battle. _She who dyes the sand red_. No doubt about what the spell was supposed to do. It called on the power of a deity that governed some aspect of massacre or murder.

She would leave that spell alone for the time being and concentrate on others. Refusal of Syn seemed very useful, and so was Thrud. The first was a defensive spell that created an absolute shield. The second gave the user tremendous physical power. It was enough to send Vita, a specialist in close combat, flying like a golf ball.

As she spaced out, Hayate noticed the flash of light only after it had passed. But what followed then could not been missed. A massive explosion, in Nanoha's and Fate's signature colors, burst a massive hole into the sky.

"Those two are overdoing it again…" Hayate tried to crack a smile, but she was a little worried. She turned away.

"Teana, Subaru." Hayate opened a channel to their room and only found Teana there, reading a book on device modification. "Teana, I want you to fetch Subaru and check out what Nanoha and Fate are doing. They seem to be quite a few kilometers west of here."

"Understood." Teana left her book where it was, grabbed Cross Mirage, and headed off to the hangar where Subaru was doing some exercises.

Teana found her girlfriend exactly where she knew she would be—sitting on a crate, taking a break. "Subaru, we've got a mission from Hayate. We're supposed to go and check on Nanoha and Fate."

"Do you want to ride or fly?" Subaru often offered to carry Teana while she used Wing Road. They even had a series of combination attacks based on that.

"I'll keep up a shield to stop us from getting wet. I'll ride with you." Teana had long since gotten used to being carried by Subaru.

Teana contacted Reinforce to make her open the hangar gate. The humidity inside the hangar went up by eighty percent the second the gate opened. Out of all the positions they had tested, Subaru carrying Teana in her arms like a princess had proven to be the most comfortable. A thin orange shield covered the two when Subaru's Wing Road extended out into the rain and they drove away.

"Why do you think Hayate sent us out to check on them?" Subaru was curious. There wasn't much to do but talk to each other while they crossed over the ocean at more than eighty kilometers an hour.

"I don't know. I only heard they went out there to test some things. Maybe Hayate is worried that they are trying too hard. I can see Nanoha doing that." Teana didn't have any fond memories of when she learned about Nanoha's past.

"I think that's the reason!" Subaru suddenly grabbed onto Teana a lot more tightly and ascended almost vertically into the air. A massive beam was coming their way. They were over two hundred meters above ground when Subaru reached her limit and had to go in a straight line again. Wing Road was not intended for use in altitudes like this. Teana could support them both in an emergency, though.

Below, the beam went right past them and exploded in a huge orb of destruction. Subaru was familiar with Nanoha's spells, even the new ones of the Saint mode, but she had never seen that one before. It wasn't purely in Nanoha's colors either. It seemed like a combination attack.

"There they are. What are they doing?"

Nanoha and Fate were floating back to back in the rain.

"That's still not right. I think we need a modification for Raising Heart and Bardiche to make this work." Nanoha wasn't one to give up easily, but they had been at it for hours and she was getting tired.

"Let's try one more time. If it still doesn't work, we'll go back after—" Fate stopped when she saw Subaru and Teana approach on Wing Road. "Subaru and Teana are here."

Nanoha turned around and looked at the two younger girls. "What're you two doing out here? It's dangerous." Nanoha failed to realize that the only truly dangerous thing for Teana and Subaru were Nanoha and Fate's experiments.

"Hayate sent us to check on you. What have you been doing out here?" Teana wasn't very happy about being almost blasted to bits.

"After seeing Hayate, I felt we needed to develop a more powerful attack to fight against the Asari." Nanoha wasn't used to people just getting right back up off the ground after taking her full power. It hurt her pride!

"We're only going to do one more trial run before we go back." Fate felt the same way Nanoha did. Even though they'd attacked Tyreithar with their best spells, it had done absolutely nothing. She just came back.

Hayate was getting stronger every day—her Golden Knight was able to fight toe to toe with Tyreithar even when it was incomplete—but they couldn't just sit around and do nothing.

"We'll go back with you together. I want to see your combination." Subaru was slightly excited.

"I don't mind, but it's dangerous. Stay behind Fate," Nanoha instructed the other two, and got ready for a new test. "Raising Heart."

"Yes, Master," the device answered, and Nanoha took position, aiming at the west, away from the ship. Fate did the same, except she aimed to the east, right at the ship. Each held their device with one hand, the other holding her partner's free hand.

"Bardiche. Begin mana transfer." Fate issued her first order and the device responded right away.

For Teana, the principle didn't seem very complicated. Nanoha was using Fate's magical energy as well as her own to power a spell. To do it like this seemed a little too dangerous, though.

"Divine…" Nanoha created more than the usual magic circles around Raising Heart. There were four yellow ones from Fate and five of her own. Subaru and Teana could feel the magical energy being collected.

"_Zamber!_" Subaru had expected the word "buster" but not "zamber." That was Fate's signature attack, not Nanoha's.

A pink-yellow mixed energy beam erupted from the magic circles around Raising Heart. The recoil sent both Nanoha and Fate flying through the air. The beam shot right through the sky and broke apart barely two hundred meters away. Another failure.

Teana knew right away where the problem was. It was insane to use mana transfer like that. It would be much easier with a joint device.

"That was one of our worst tries yet," Nanoha sighed. It was so incredibly difficult to properly use Fate's magic energy.

"Nanoha, I think I figured out what your problem is." Teana watched the ace approach and stand down on Subaru's Wing Road. "Your devices. It's obviously impossible to use magic like this in combat without having your devices properly configured for the right spell."

Teana had read quite a few books about device technology. She had developed an interest in devices after a specific mission she had helped Fate with. Ever since then, she had read over three dozen books on the subject.

"I'm not an expert, but I think I could at least help so that you don't have to worry about the mana transfer. I can't do anything about the spell chant and the aim or the recoil. That's up to you to figure out."

"Fate, do you think we should try that?" Nanoha trusted Teana, but having someone work on Raising Heart that was not a trained engineer was a bit risky.

"We're not going to get anywhere like this. We've spent the whole day out here only to have every new result turn out worse than the last." Fate was eager to overcome the wall that was stopping them.

Combination attacks had huge potential—they had known that for ages. But to actually learn and develop them was something different entirely.

"It'll take a bit to do the modifications, but I'll get working on it as soon as we get back to the ship. After a shower." The shield had kept the rain out only until Teana and Subaru had barely escaped the first huge blast from the two's testing.

"Hayate had her first mock battle today, didn't she? How did it go?" Nanoha was curious about what her friend was doing. Despite being a little jealous of her power, Hayate was still her best friend.

"I haven't asked yet. But she seemed to be okay when she told me to check on you two," Teana said to Nanoha, who was flying at the same speed Subaru was moving. Fate was right next to Nanoha.

"I really think it's a miracle she's already gotten that far. That power was frightening." Nanoha was sure that in a one-on-one fight against Hayate, Nanoha would lose. The Golden Knight was a weapon from a time when other Lost Logia, like the Saint's Cradle, were tools of war.

"I met Vita in the hangar after the battle. She was pretty cut up all over, like she'd flown right through a storm of blades." Subaru remembered the pained look on Vita's face. "I feel sort of useless when I look at Hayate now…we couldn't do anything against Tyreithar."

"Neither could we. That is why we are trying something new," Fate answered for Nanoha, who pouted a little. She didn't like to admit those things.

"Fate's Chaos form and my Empress mode…they're our trump cards, but they still weren't enough…"

The group suddenly stopped. There was something right ahead of them in the rain. Fate couldn't see very well, but it looked like people, and that was bad news.

"What do we do? First strike?" Subaru let Teana carefully down and Teana floated off the Wing Road. It was better to move separately in case of an attack.

"There's a lot of them…" Teana had excellent vision and assumed their numbers to be at least a dozen.

"I don't think it'll make much sense to try and talk to them." Nanoha grabbed Raising Heart. She had used up a lot of power so she wanted to avoid a fight if possible. The same was true for Fate.

"What do we do?"

=== End of Mission Eight ===


End file.
